


Comfort in Despair

by jeralee



Series: The Dark World [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Cosmology, Dark, Demonic Possession, Disturbing Themes, Eldritch, Exorcism, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Ghosts, Gore, Haunted Houses, Horror, Mystery, Mythology References, Paranormal, Pokemon Death, Pokémon Mythology, Reader-Insert, Romance, Science Fiction, Spooky, Supernatural Elements, Terror, Torture, Vomiting, cosmic horror, reader is a lone wolf, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:42:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 28
Words: 181,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25631500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeralee/pseuds/jeralee
Summary: Galar is rich in folklore and tales of the supernatural.As a Pokemon Researcher who specialises in ghost types, this is a great opportunity for you to investigate and learn more about the paranormal.Along the way, you meet Leon who becomes embroiled in your adventures.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Reader
Series: The Dark World [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1623082
Comments: 546
Kudos: 486
Collections: An Assortment of Damn Good Fics





	1. 18.98hz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters 1-3: Haunted house/Introduction arc  
> Chapters 4-7: Giant’s Seat Incident  
> Chapters 8-9: Haunted doll  
> Chapters 10-13: Haunted art gallery case  
> Chapters 14-17: Hiatus arc  
> Chapters 18-24: Beauty Pageant Case  
> Chapters 25-27: Spiritomb  
> Chapter 28-Present: Final arc

**18.98 Hertz**

...

...

[18.98hz is the infrasonic signal reported to be responsible for ghost sightings]

...

...

Deep within the woodlands of the Wild Area, an abandoned manor sits undisturbed inside a secluded maze of overgrown fauna.

Rumoured to have been built during the eighteen hundreds, the architecture is undoubtedly Georgian, with a single door erected in the middle of the house and two rows of symmetrical, large windows. A proud Duke had built the impressive home for a beautiful princess he had fallen in love with. Unfortunately, a happy ending eluded the Duke as the princess was subsequently married off to another suitor and the Duke wasted away from a broken heart.

With no true owner, the house has been passed back and forth throughout several generations and archives reveal that the last recorded occupants dated back to the fifties - a young couple with small children - and they had stayed no longer than three months.

The family had been experiencing strange phenomena; they were plagued by eerie wailing noises, laughter and the sounds of footsteps in the empty hallways at night. The couple would often see apparitions in empty rooms. The youngest child developed an imaginary friend, described as a creature with the head of a boar.

One night, the couple were seen hurriedly fleeing the premises in the middle of the night in their nightclothes, dragging their children in tow and vowing never to return. 

To this date, no occupant dwells within. 

As the years passed, the manor fell further into ruin and disarray. With no human upkeep, it soon faded away from existence and hidden from the public. The stories soon dissolved into nothing but the stuff of legends. 

No traveller would ever stumble upon this splendid home until a group of gym challengers travelling together on their Rotom bikes would spot the small glint of light a distance away.

It's night and the weather is dreary. They are strapping, young men and they look fearless, having braved through many hardships and difficult situations with each other and their Pokemon alike.

Tonight, they are hungry and exhausted from their long hours spent travelling and desperately seek shelter. Little do they know that a scene from a horror novel is in the making. 

Heading towards the direction of the light in the distance, the three young men would eventually discover a beaten path that leads them to a foreboding manor. The boys are stunned at first and exchange glances of bafflement.

Every light of the building is on and shadows dance around in a window or two.

They cannot believe their good luck - what are their chances of stumbling across a house in the middle of the wilderness?

With the increasing torrential downpour and the weariness growing in their bones, the group pedal up to the door, lay down their bikes and knock on the rusted wood. They are hoping the occupants can grant them sanctuary for the remainder of the night. They had come across many kind individuals during their travels and have been offered gifts or generous hospitality. As they wait, they chat animatedly to each other about their adventures, laughing and smiling.

The door opens for them an inch or so as though beckoning them inside but no-one appears at the doorway.

Although they are confused, one of the gym challengers slowly pushes open the door and takes a cautious step.

"H-hello?" he calls as he glances around, "Anyone here?"

He is greeted by a long stretch of corridor with a single door at the far end. It's ajar and the light is on. Muffled voices can be heard emitting from within. His friends peer over his shoulders, intrigued.

"...Um, hello?" he calls again, a little louder than before, and he crosses the threshold.

His companions don't follow, seemingly having lost their nerve. Instead, they encourage their representative to enter the establishment further on their behalf. The sensation of unease and trepidation has suddenly made its presence known in the depth of their guts.

However, this young gym challenger is brave and for the sake of his friends, he enters. He steps through the corridor and arrives at the door, opening it with a shaking hand.

The door creaks loudly, dust falling off above and onto his head. He slides inside the room and sees it is an empty room, devoid of furniture and appears to be unused for many years. There is no indication of anyone living here and immediately, a shiver runs down his spine when he realises he is not alone.

The temperature in the room becomes frighteningly cold, the hairs of the back of his neck suddenly stand on end and his heartbeat speeds up.

In the corner of his eye, he senses someone or _something_.

He's too frightened to look but he forces himself to turn, his body stiff. An old man stands rigidly in one corner of the room furthest away from him, facing the wall. This strange figure is pallid and gaunt, donned in a haggard, grey robe that ends at the knees.

Unsure what to do, the boy ends up cautiously takes a step forward. It is human nature to be drawn to the unknown. 

He takes a baby step forward. His feet feel heavy with each step. Slowly, he approaches.

"Um....mister?"

There is no response.

"Are you....are you okay?"

He reaches a shaking hand towards the figure and finally the old man turns, revealing a grotesque and demonic visage, a face with dark empty sockets and a horrid gaping mouth. An ear-splitting and unearthly shriek erupts from all four corners of the room and the boy stumbles backwards in fright and spins on his heel with a scream.

He runs, terrified for his life. The harrowing, agonising screams follow him out. 

...

In the lush conservatory, your guest sits opposite you in the pristine white sofa with a cup of tea in shaking hand as he bravely recounts his horrific tale of the mysterious house deep in the woods of the Wild Area. He stops, unable to continue and unable to further describe the terror of that night which had effectively taken place three days ago. 

Whilst Cutiefly buzzes around the plants, Polteageist sits on the table and helps refill your cup whilst you take notes. You thank your pokemon before briefly musing to yourself that Polteageist's tea is far superior than any other tea you've ever had and you wonder if there may as well be a coffee pokemon out there somewhere, waiting to be discovered. 

"I-I know it doesn't sound like much but it was terrifying," he mutters, "And it wasn't a pokemon, either."

"It's too early to say, but I'll look into this for you."

"Y-you believe me?"

"Yes, I do."

The boy looks stunned at your response then morosely lowers his gaze to his lap; his eyes are sunken in, his face ashen and peaky. He has not slept well since the ordeal.

"Thank you for believing me. Nobody else did," he murmurs with a sigh of clandestine relief as he holds his clenched fist over his chest.

Your fingers tense under the gratitude, gripping the handle of your cup so tightly your knuckles turn white, but a fraction of a second later and you gradually relax and you smile. "No problem, leave it to me."

"Do you want me to take you there? I-I'm not sure if I can find it again though..."

"No need," you say, "I'll look for it myself."

After exchanging a few more words with your client, you leave the conservatory and escort him to the exit; he spots an old woman donned in a white lab coat sitting at the round table in the kitchen, helping herself to a slice of buttered toast. He recognises her as Galar's famed Pokemon Professor so he greets her politely and she responds in the same manner.

Before your client leaves, he thanks you again for listening and believing in his story when many others did not and you reassure him once more that you will get to the bottom of this; Polteageist and Cutiefly float beside you and wave as your guest departs.

Closing the door gently, you return to the conservatory to clean up and pick up your notes, then head to the kitchen where Professor Magnolia is now brewing herself a cup of tea with a paper in front of her. Upon your arrival, she looks up from her reading material. "Was that a new lead, dear?"

"Possibly. Don't leave any dinner for me, I'm heading out now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'll be back tomorrow morning, professor."

She nods, "Very well. Be safe, dear."

With Cutiefly and Polteageist beside you, you leave the kitchen and head up the stairs to your room.

Sonia is sitting at her vanity table with her back to you, carefully covering her nails with a new coat of seafoam-green nail polish that matches the shade of her eyes whilst her Yamper lies curled in its basket, snoozing away with a chew toy under its paw. When she sees you entering the room from the mirror, she spins round in her seat immediately to face you.

"How did it go?" She greets you cheerfully as you stride to your side of the room.

"It was okay, kinda typical. There was a derelict house, ghost lights and a frightening apparition of a very unfriendly old man."

She shivers all over. "That sounds horrid..."

"Sounds like my cup of tea. Isn't that right, Polteageist?" you reply with a grin. Whilst Sonia groans inwardly at your joke, Polteageist nods and spins happily around in his teapot in response.

"What are you going to do?" she asks, holding her hand up and blowing on her nails.

"I'm heading out now to check it out."

"Now??"

"Yep."

Sonia watches with widened eyes as you begin to prepare.

"Right! I'll need my bag, a few pokedolls, some Dusk Balls, my coat and radio. Poltea, let's get cracking."

Polteageist nods, punches at the air with his little fists and floats over to the desk to grab some lightweight items for you.

You share a room with Sonia; it's large enough to be divided into two. The division of the room is reminiscent of yin and yang. Whereas Sonia's section is a colourful, girlish paradise, yours is dull, gloomy, plain and lacklustre in every aspect. Your blinds are perpetually drawn, your walls devoid of any poster or print, your furniture basic and simple. Honestly, you don't spend enough time in the house to bother with decorations and only focus on the necessities.

You open your closet and begin changing out of your normal, everyday clothes and into a warmer shirt, trousers and a clean pair of socks before you pick up your trusty backpack which you keep propped up against the wall. Opening it, you begin packing your tools and various gear, grabbing them off your desk and tossing them inside. The only thing that does not properly fit is your sleeping bag which you keep rolled up and attach it to one side of your bag using a buckled strap.

Once her nails are dry, Sonia quickly gets up from her seat, leaves the room and promptly returns with a few snacks consisting of peanut butter protein bars, dried fruit mix and some Moomoo cheese that should help last you the entire night. "Here, take these."

"Thanks, Sonnie."

"I worry about you," Sonia says with a sigh as she returns to sit down and Cutiefly nestles in her hair and nuzzles the side of her cheek, "You're always leaving in the evening and coming home at dawn..."

"Can't help it, Sonnie. You know what it's like." You finally finish packing and stand up, donning your coat first before you pull the straps of your bag firmly over your shoulders. The last item you reach for is your pocket radio which Sonia eyes with concern.

"Be careful! And call us if anything comes up, okay? Well, maybe not Gran because she goes to bed at nine...but I'll still be up!"

You flash her a wide grin in response, "I'll be fine, Son. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck!"

You both exchange a hug before Cutiefly and Polteageist hover over to you and you pat them affectionately. "I'll be back soon. Be good," you say when they look at you sadly; you lean forwards and peck them over the top of their heads. Heading to the door, you turn to Sonia once more and throw your arms in the air. "Now I bid you, adieu."

Sonia giggles, twirling a curl of her hair with her finger whilst Polteageist waves sadly and Cutiefly loops in the air. You hurriedly dash out of the room, sprinting down the stairs and waving to Magnolia before you shove your feet into your hiking boots. You breeze out the house, heading towards the direction of the train station that will take you to the Wild Area. Checking your wristwatch, there should be a train arriving in ten minutes. 

It's getting late, the sky is turning dark and people are on their way home but your day is just starting.

You are a Pokemon Researcher, specialising in the ghost type. You study the supernatural and the paranormal so naturally your work mostly begins at night. You have had clients who share with you stories of the weird and wonderful, the bizarre and downright strange and you've dedicated yourself in studying these mysterious and often terrifying occurrences. Galar is rich with supernatural lore and tales from the crypt so all in all, it's very exciting to be here.

Your new client and his horrific story is nothing new - it's probably a ghost Pokemon pulling the strings. 

Having moved to Galar from Kalos, Magnolia and Sonia have been so good to you when you knew no-one and had no other place to go. They have taken you under their wing and they worry about you a lot usually because you leave at late evening or night, return at the ass crack of dawn and spend the majority of the day sleeping but this is a cycle you've grown accustomed to before you moved. Your body clock has completely adjusted. You're nocturnal. 

You arrive at Wedgehurst station and go through the ticket barriers with your monthly pass in hand, surprised to see that the station is far busy today compared to usual. 

Normally at this time, it's empty and quiet and the passengers are weary workers who are departing from their jobs in Wedgehurst to return home but on this occasion, you see far more individuals than you would have liked and you're forced to queue.

Nevertheless, you plug in your earphones, choose one of your favourite songs and bring out your journal to go over your notes you took down when you were speaking with the client.

When the train arrives, the increased number of passengers means you don't easily find a seat compared to other days as the commuters bumble in and out and the seats begin to slowly fill up. You look left and right and luckily, you find an empty seat just two rows ahead. You do hold back at first, wondering if there are any elderly citizens in the same carriage but after glancing around curiously, there are no old folk and no-one is interested in taking the seat.

You may as well sit down.

You end up squashed between a middle-aged woman who is busy knitting a green scarf with a Rowlet's face on it and on your left is a young guy dressed in white sweats with the hood pulled up and wrapped tightly around his head. A black cap has also been expertly placed to cover his face. He sits with his arms crossed over his chest, slouching to the side and quite possibly asleep. 

Luckily, the next stop is the Meetup Spot of the Wild Area so you don't need to sit for too long.

A Charizard stands in front of you, holding onto one of the pivoted grab handles that dangle from the ceiling with a sticker slapped over his scaly chest that says 'World's Best Charizard'.

The doors of the carriage soon close and the train leaves the station, chugging down the tracks; during the brief journey, you and Sonia message each other before she goes downstairs for dinner so you leave her be to enjoy her meal. You use your notebook to occupy yourself and go through your notes and diagrams once again.

Your drawing skills are amateur but you've briefly sketched the house and drawn the horrific, ghostly man according to the boy's testimony and you spend some time studying your drawings until you hear Charizard let out an audible snort of curiosity and you look up.

He's looking at your notepad, at your diagrams, and you grin, "Oh? Are you interested?" 

He nods.

It's not always you get the chance to talk to someone or a pokemon about your line of work because you're mostly met with skepticism or derisiveness. Therefore you find your grin widening and you excitedly gesture to the house. "There's a house in the Wild Area rumoured to be haunted. I'm heading there right now to take a look."

Charizard looks a little disturbed at your revelation and points a claw to the drawing of the old man and glances at you.

"That's a ghost."

His reptilian eyes widen thoroughly.

"I'm on the case. I'm a pokemon researcher, see?" You pull your badge out from your left pocket of your coat to show him and he scrutinises it intensely, "I'll get to the bottom of this and - "

You halt midway when the man on your left suddenly lets out a muffled groan and begins to lean against your shoulder with a tad more force than usual and you stiffen in your seat. 

It's probably on accident and everyone else doesn't seem to notice; they're sitting with their pokemon or their eyes are glued onto their Rotom phones; everyone's too busy to notice so you inconspicuously use your shoulder to nudge him away and he returns to his normal spot. You inwardly breathe a sigh of relief until he slumps against you once more, groaning slightly. Even though he has a hat covering his face, underneath the fabric and you can feel his nose pressing against your neck and you tense up. 

The train annoy announces that you're almost at your destination but you remember the wise words of Magnolia. She warned you to be careful when you're on the train at night, especially when you are on your own. Whilst you wonder if you are possibly sitting beside a pervert who is pretending to be asleep so he can act like he is nodding off and accidentally 'slumping' or 'bumping' against you, the Charizard helps you out by curling his claw and prodding at the young man firmly.

"Huh? What?" The sleepy young man finally retreats from you and you hear him mutter groggily, half-asleep.

Strange, his voice sounds familiar. 

The tannoy sounds off once again: " _We have now arrived at the Meetup Spot, Wild Area_."

You're at your destination regardless so you quickly stand up and head to the doors with a few others as the train slowly rolls to a stop. Behind you, you hear the man waking up.

"Charizard, are we here?" he asks. Charizard lets out a low bellow and he exclaims, "Great! Let's go!"

As you step off the platform and begin to exit the station with the others, the young man breezes past you with Charizard at his heels, slotting his ticket into the machine and charging through the turnstile. Whilst you wonder what his rush is, it's then you see the long slither of purple hair cascading out of his cap in waves over his shoulders and it occurs to you that you had been sitting beside the Champion of Galar on the train the entire time.

Your eyes grow wide.

Charizard really should've been the first clue.

You leave the station dumbfounded as you contemplate this. 

You don't know much about the Champion. The only information you know is the same stuff as any fan would know because you only used a quiz from a magazine to enrich your knowledge on him. You know his name is Leon, he is extremely handsome and nice, he has a Charizard, he is unbeatable, he has been the Champion for roughly ten years and he lives in Postwick. That's pretty much it.

In fact, your knowledge on modern affairs is so atrocious that you do often reprimand yourself that you should pay far more attention to the news and world affairs but your research took up a lot of your time and it didn't help that you were essentially a night owl. Regardless, Magnolia and Sonia knew him and he's been to the lab on a few occasions but needless to say, you were never there and more often than not, you were always fast asleep when he popped by.

You weren't engaged with or interested in the Pokemon League or the Championship anyway.

You had more important things to focus on, such as your studies.

The house is your priority now so you put away your music, take out your Rotom phone, turn on the GPS function and whip out your flashlight which you will use once you're on the path.

The Meetup Spot is a rendezvous point with only one or two friendly Watt Traders dressed in the most snazzy outfits you had ever laid eyes on and there is also a nice lady who can heal gym challenger's Pokemon essentially at no cost. You don't see the Champion or Charizard anywhere so you figured he must have headed towards the Wild Area already. You wonder why he is here and why he was keeping a low profile considering people are used to seeing him in his cape and champion uniform.

Standing at the summit, it grants you a fantastic view of the entire Wild Area which would've been more discernible if you were here during daylight hours. At night, all you can see is a massive and dark expanse with a few orangey blobs in the distance indicating a camp site or whatnot. There's not many. People don't like travelling at this hour.

You're going to be in there all night.

You spare a quick glance at your notes again. The group were travelling through the Rolling Fields and had apparently taken a shortcut past the Dappled Grove. They passed a pokemon den and a Pangoro who was sleeping near the lake. You are going to assume they mean West Lake Axewell. That doesn't give you much to work with but it's given you a good indicator as to what direction you should begin your search and furthermore the Rolling Fields isn't too much of a trek from the Meetup Spot.

You set off at once with your flashlight, wandering down the path that is outlined by tall trees. To a lost and tired traveller, the Wild Area can be frightening when it is dark but you're rather used to the paths and you've travelled extensively so you are rather familiar with the area.

Along the way, you jot down points of interest and mark your progress as you venture further. You see Hoothoots and Noctowls perched in the trees, cooing and watching you. A few Oddish scamper around, accompanied by some Spinaraks. They all hide when you approach. 

As the night wears on and the hours pass, you wander aimlessly down the path yet find no trace of the house and you also don't see anyone along the way. That's how alone you truly are. You're halfway through the Fields when the trees to your left suddenly bustle and shake violently and you stop in your path and shine the flashlight, just to see a Hoothoot popping out from the branches, hooting loudly with glee.

It has a pile of clothes gripped in its one claw and you stare in confusion as to where it got the clothes from until two or three seconds later and a figure comes charging out of the trees, emerging from the same spot as Hoothoot.

Unable to stop himself in time when he spots you in the path, he smacks into you and you both go tumbling. It happens so quickly you are knocked off your feet before you can yell out and your back hits the cold and hard ground. 

Whoever it is, he lands on top of you, his broad chest crushing the air out of your lungs. The impact is so strong your mind reels for a moment or so but you manage to shine your flashlight at the man and you see a pair of golden eyes staring back at you and you gape with shock.

It's Leon, and he looks as startled as you are as you both gawk at each other before he quickly scrambles off you and moves to stand, spluttering a string of apologies. You cannot believe your eyes; you have encountered the Champion twice in a day.

You see that he is damp and naked, save for the white towel wrapped around his hips which is threatening to fall off. He mutters a string of apologies whilst you merely stare with widened eyes.

Haunted house - zero. Wet, naked guy - one. 

"Sorry!" He exclaims, sticking a hand out to you but you are so stunned by his presence you can only gape. Oblivious to your staring, he proceeds to explain his predicament, "Sorry, I...uh, a Hoothoot stole my clothes when I was taking a bath and I chased him out here. Are you...are you okay?"

Leon doesn't owe you any explanations yet he stands sheepishly before you, his cheeks stained with pink and it's a side to the Champion of Galar you have never seen before. 

You are thoroughly reminded that he's still a human like you and that he too is a person on the pokearth who'll encounter bad luck on some occasions.

Poor guy.

You manage to pull yourself together, snapping out of your staring stupor.

"Oh, er...yeah, I'm fine." you utter quickly. It dawns to you that you’re not sure where to look when you catch a glimpse of his bare chest. His physique is not bulky or overly muscular... just perfect. 

You quickly wipe those thoughts away from your mind and finally slip your diminutive hand into his, which is very warm, compared to yours anyway. He curls his fingers tightly around yours and pulls you up and off the ground. 

"That's a relief," he says with a grin. 

His strength is uncalled for as you're easily pulled back to your feet although you trip slightly and he is quick to catch you; his other hand shoots out to grab you firmly whilst you accidentally grasp his rock-hard bicep and your eyes grow wide.

You abruptly hop out of his grip and cradle your hand to yourself, your cheeks growing warm from the unfamiliar contact.

Above, Hoothoot coos with mischief and finally drops the clothes. The damage has been done; the clothes are stained with mud and you see it's a plain white t-shirt and black boxers.

However, Leon does not curse or yell at the owl as one might do. Instead, he grins widely. "Did you have fun?"

The Hoothoot nods with gratitude and flaps its tiny wings, flying away. You watch the departing pokemon whilst Leon quickly gathers his clothes up in his arms.

"I didn't mean to frighten you,” he says before he quickly pulls on his muddied shirt and slips on his shorts under the towel whilst you automatically glance away, cringing slightly. Once he's fully clothed, he whips the towel off and wraps it around his arm. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No, no, I'm alright," you utter quickly and Leon smiles warmly at your reassurance. His smile takes you off guard and you cannot help but stare, "Um, are _you_ okay?"

He nods; he has some patches of dirt on his face so you delve a hand into your bag and pull out a pack of clean tissues which he accepts. 

"Here, take this."

"Oh, uh, thanks very much!" he replies energetically, and his smile broadens as he wipes at his cheek.

His smile is contagious; you resist the urge to smile in return.

"Thanks!" He says again, when he's finished.

But he has some dirt on his chin so you gesture to yourself, "You still have some...ah, just a little...on your chin. Right there."

"Here?"

"Yeah."

He scrubs himself but the dirt remains on his chin.

".......Do you want some help with that?"

He looks owlishly at you. "Okay, sure." 

You take a clean tissue from one of your own packet and step closer to him then lift your hand and carefully dab at the spot. Now that you're closer to him, you get a better look at his features.

All the stories, the dedicated websites, the magazine articles....they're all true. He's been asking if you are fine when he might be hurt too. He is kind. That's not all, even though he's wearing a basic t-shirt and boxers splattered in mud, he is incredibly _good-looking._

With those long eyelashes, the dedicated gleam in his eyes, perfect pearly white teeth and long, unruly hair, the more you look at him the more your heart thumps a tad harder against your ribs.

Leon grows still, swerving his eyes to you. 

When you look up, he quickly looks away.

Feeling awkward, you quickly finish the job and step backwards. "All done."

Leon thanks you again and for a moment or so, you both stand in silence until you realise there is no reason for you to linger any longer and the house is still waiting to be discovered. Clearing your throat, you straighten the lapels of your coat and adjust your bag to its proper position over your back.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye - oh, wait, take this too," you fish a small glass bottle with a cork, no bigger than your pinky finger, that is filled with random herbs. "It's a good luck charm. It's been blessed and will keep you safe."

"Thank you, that's very thoughtful," Leon takes the little bottle out of your hand, inspects it before he slips it somewhere safe in his pockets.

"No worries. Goodbye now," you hurriedly make a beeline past him.

"Wait, you dropped these," Leon calls after you and you pause in mid-step at once, turning round slowly; he has picked up a card and a small black object off the ground and promptly holds them out to you.

Stunned, you pat yourself down only to discover that indeed, your pocket radio and card is missing. Bloody hell, how in the name of Arceus did you manage to drop the radio?? You mentally scold yourself and hastily return to his side to retrieve your items although you end up swiping the radio out of his hands rather forcefully, cradling it to your chest.

"Thanks. You can keep the card."

Leon glimpses at it briefly. It's your business card which contains your full name, occupation, email address and a contact number. There is also a brief blurb on your study of the occult. "...You're a Pokemon Researcher?"

"Yeah, that's right. I study ghost pokemon," you say without looking at him, your attention fully averted to the radio as you fiddle with the device, pulling out the antenna and rotating one of the dials. Although you move the dial, nothing gets picked up and there is only silence. You keep turning the dial until you configure it to the frequency of eighteen nine eight hertz. 

"That's amazing. I heard that field of study can be terrifying."

You hesitate as he grins, then you nod. "It is. It's not for the faint-hearted. My line of work usually revolves around all sorts of dead things," you reply, before you ask, "Do you believe in ghosts?"

He blinks blankly at you. "Uh...well...I guess so."

His response is more or less awkward but you have placed him in a rather difficult position. You're not surprised by his response. Even though there are ghost-type pokemon, people still maintain skepticism when it comes to the supernatural. 

A brief silence spawns following your reply. Leon appears...intrigued. He studies you carefully. You are a girl in a warm, long coat, slacks and comfy hiking boots. One would possibly mistake you for a gym challenger but you are a Pokemon Researcher and for a Pokemon Researcher, you are young for your age. And since you've met Leon all the way out here, you may as well ask.

"By the way, have you seen or heard anything weird around here? Like...weird lights or strange noises?"

"No-"

"Oh, okay, forget I asked then. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

"Wait," Leon says; he seems to have caught on that something must be amiss, "Is something wrong? Do you need help?"

The corner of your lips tug upwards into a smile. "No, it's fine-" you pause when a crackling static emits from the radio in your hands. Eyes wide, you lift it up and the white noise grows louder and louder until a scratchy and hoarse, little voice can be heard.

"...... _Is someone there_ _? Hello....? Help me, please._ "

There are a couple of distorted crackling noises until the radio goes dead once again. You grow silent, lips turning into a frown.

Leon observes your reaction before he asks, "Who was that?"

You don't answer.

"Is your radio broken?"

"The question isn't a matter of _who_ but _what,_ " you correct him, "' _What_ was that'. And no, it's not broken. This is a special radio. It only works on this frequency."

And you show him your radio, the little screen and the dial and he glances over curiously. 

"Eighteen ninety eight?" He utters.

"Yeah. If you want to see or hear ghosts, use this frequency."

Leon's reaction is a classic. His eyes widen to the size of saucers. Every time you talk to someone or meet someone, you always end up worming that into conversations and the expression on their faces are priceless. It's a killer. 

"Well, that's what people say anyway. It's up to you if you want to believe it or not."

He looks confused.

You hope you haven't scared him too bad though so you grin widely to make him feel more at ease. "Relax. There's nothing here right now," you reply. He seems positively spooked as you slip the radio into your bag and zip it up. "Now if you excuse me, I have a haunted house to find. Goodnight."

Leon watches your retreating back heading further and further down the winding path until Charizard appears, swooping through the trees and landing on the ground with a loud thump. He's holding his sweats, bag and shoes and Leon grins widely.

"Thanks, buddy," Leon says, taking his belongings out of his grip; he slips on his shoes before Charizard snorts and nudges his head towards the trees. "Sorry, bud, not yet."

Charizard looks at him questioningly.

"I think we should go with her. She might need our help." Leon says, before he quickly reaches into his bag to pull out a clean shirt. He swap his sullied shirt and folds it away then hops behind a tree to change out of his muddy boxers for a new pair, dons his sweats and returns to the path.

He glances around, hoping to catch glimpse of you to see where you disappeared off to and successfully pinpoints you meandering down the beaten path a short distance away.

He yells your name and begins to trail after you. 

You haven't gone too far and upon hearing Leon's voice, you turn round.

You stop in your path, raising a brow as soon as you spot a fully and more appropriately-dressed Leon dashing towards your direction with Charizard behind him. Stunned, you blink blankly as he stops in front of you, panting somewhat.

“Um...What are you doing?" you ask in bewilderment.

You glance at Charizard and he has the same sticker you saw at the train so you're certain it's him and he seems to recognise you also, tilting his head at you curiously and you nod. He lets out a loud but delighted huff in response.

"What? You two know know each other?" Leon asks, and Charizard nods. "You met on the train?"

Charizard nods again.

You merely grin.

"Then I guess no introductions are needed," Leon averts full focus back to you. "Can we come with you?"

"Why?"

"Because I think you need help."

"It's okay, I don't need help. No offence to you and the big guy," you reply, gesturing to Charizard, "Besides, I'm a bit of a lone wolf and it could be dangerous."

"That's exactly why we should go with you."

You're not particularly worried about Charizard so you proceed to examine Leon carefully, circling him with a hand under your chin as you look at him from head to toe and he blinks under your scrutiny. Maybe they should come after all. It would make things more interesting.

"...Alright. You want to come with me? Let's go then."

Leon replies with a grin, "Lead the way."

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. 18.98hz is the alleged frequency responsible for ghost sightings according to Vic Tandy.
> 
> 2\. Some of the hauntings described in the beginning of this chapter is similar to Amityville
> 
> 3\. Lol reader reminded me of a Delibird, giving out free good luck charms, business cards and tissues XD


	2. Hello Darkness, My Old Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get your ass handed to you by Charizard, and you and Leon find the coveted haunted house and begin your ghost hunting adventure. Things soon go from 0 to 100.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 08.08.2020
> 
> psst I have a tumblr and I will occasionally post random stuff, memes and doodles on this fic: https://imjeralee.tumblr.com/

**Hello Darkness, My Old Friend**

...

...

["It cannot be seen, cannot be felt,  
Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt,  
It lies behind stars and under hills,  
And empty holes it fills,  
It comes first and follows after,  
Ends life, kills laughter."]

...

...

This would be the first time you have had someone properly accompany you during your excursions; a long time ago, Sonia was eager to come with you but unfortunately she wasn't quite able to stay awake during most of the night and you had to continue on without her, leaving her fast asleep in the tent with Yamper.

Also, you don't want to endanger her in either way, otherwise Magnolia may not forgive you. You're close to them and Magnolia wouldn't say such things to you in person but you know deep inside that you mustn't jeopardise her granddaughter.

It's nice to have a companion for a change.

"I mean, for once, I don't need to fill in the silence by talking to myself," you utter under your breath and it's completely due to force of habit but Leon overhears and throws his glance to you.

"Huh?"

"Oh, nothing."

It's true though.

Leon and yourself meander down the path with Charizard lumbering behind you. Although you're not sure if it is the right thing to allow Leon to come with you, a part of you is wondering if things might end up differently if you tackled this one as a group rather than just going solo. There is still no sign of the house however.

"This can be very dangerous," you warn him again but he's looking very optimistic. 

"Charizard will protect us!" he exclaims with boyish enthusiasm, a type of naïveté which you find rather bemusing because you wonder how he will react once he sees a ghost....though you do inwardly cringe about the thought of Leon running away whilst screaming his head off.

Meanwhile, Charizard emits an all-knowing snort and nods his head. They both look confident and comfortable.

"Ghosts are an entirely different thing, Leon."

"Yeah, but do you have any pokemon?"

You stop in your tracks immediately, cheeks feeling warm as Leon pauses as well, quietly observing your reaction. Without looking at him, you mutter out, "K-kind of, I have my sister's pokemon but I don't want to use them. If anything happened to them I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."

"Okay, so you don't have any pokemon with you?" Leon says, crossing his arms. Although he's wearing baggy clothes, his sleeves still go taut from the motion and you can see the outlines of his rock hard biceps which you had grabbed not too long ago.

You clear your throat, trying not to think about that incident and focus on what is presently at hand at this moment. It's refreshing to see him fully-dressed in his sweats for a change. You're used to seeing pictures of him in the champion attire consisting of the red cape, tight black t-shirt, white shorts and tights. He's kept his snapback, however.

Shaking your head in response to his question, a look of surprise crosses his handsome face.

"It's incredibly dangerous to go into the Wild Area without a pokemon partner. I could send you back to the Meetup Spot right now," he says.

Your cheeks go pink as he tells you off and you hang your head low whilst kicking a stone in your path, pouting. "As long as I have my stash of pokedolls and I don't go into the tall grass, I'm fine..."

He breaks into a grin at your defeated response, "I was kidding!"

You don't get his humour as he continues to chuckle; your clueless expression must be priceless to him. 

He adds, "It's fine, I can help catch a pokemon for you."

"...You don't need to catch a pokemon for me. I've always been going to the Wild Area without any pokemon."

"Miss, if you insist on wandering the Wild Area alone in the dark with no pokemon... as Champion of Galar and for the sake of your safety, I insist that I must stay by your side for the remainder of the night."

You give him an incredulous look. “Do you say that to every girl you come across or am I special?”

He starts spluttering immediately, your comment has taken him completely off guard. “W-what? N-no, I don't say to every girl-"

You watch as he continues stuttering.

"Uh, I don't talk to a lot of girls but when I do, I usually wouldn’t... I wouldn’t say-"

It seems to be growing worse.

"I mean, I had to say that because you are special-"

"Leon, relax, I was joking," you chuckle under your breath and Leon ends up offering you an awkward grin. "C'mon, let's go."

You begin to pick up pace once again with Leon on your left and Charizard moves to your right. Compared to you, he is so cheerful and enthusiastic, even at this time at night. He looks happy and so the conversation continues.

"What's this all about then?" he asks.

"A client says he came across a haunted house around these parts so I'm going to investigate," you reply, "this isn't anything new, Leon. I'll get to the bottom of this soon."

He blinks wide-eyed for a few seconds, "And uh, how long have you been researching pokemon?"

"About five years."

"I recognise your name – you live with Sonia and Professor Magnolia, right?"

"Yeah."

"They've mentioned you several times. It's a shame we never got a chance to meet until now."

"Likewise," you reply, throwing a glance to your radio which you have fished out from your bag. 

"You know who I am, don't you?"

"Of course I do, and even if I didn't, you said it yourself there anyway," you utter, although the majority of your attention is focused on the radio, "I didn't expect to meet you here though."

His face grows red as he rubs the back of his neck with his large palm. "...Charizard and I are undertaking some private training. Isn't that right, big guy?" 

Charizard nods happily and swings his bulky tail around in the air and you have to hop to avoid the wagging of his tail until he accidentally smacks into you and something hot slaps you on the rear and begins to grow hotter and hotter.

Sniffing the air, the atmosphere begins to become laced with the smell of burning plastic and you quickly throw a glance behind you. You are greeted with the sight of bright orange flames tickling your backside and your eyes widen.

"I'M ON FIRE!!!"

A bug-eyed look is Leon's response when he turns round and gets an eyeful. The back of your coat is indeed, covered in flames. "Charizard! Be careful!" he reprimands the flame pokemon. There is no hint of malice in his voice but he is stern.

Charizard's apology consists of a couple of snorts and loud huffing as you begin running around aimlessly in a panic.

"Um, drop to the floor and roll around!" Leon yells so you throw yourself to the ground in front of him and begin rolling but the fire doesn't go away so easily. 

Fortunately for you, you spy a deep puddle up ahead that is being perused by a Lotad so you get back up and leap heftily towards it.

The Lotad hurriedly scurries away as soon as it senses your incoming arrival and your back meets the puddle. Water goes splashing everywhere but you are saved. You exhale noisily with relief as the flames are extinguished and there is a loud yet satisfying 'tssssssss' following as smoke begins to seep out from under your back, evaporating into the air in silky white wisps.

Leon heads up to you sheepishly and stands before you; you swerve your eyes up and your gazes meet as he removes his snapback, cradling it in his hands, "I am so sorry. Are you okay?"

"........Yeah."

"I'll make it up to you," he pulls something out from his bag and lifts it out. 

It's a Burn Heal.

You cannot help but roll your eyes and sigh under your breath. "I'm fine. Let's just keep going."

Leon sticks his hand out for you which you take and he helps you back onto your feet once again.

"....Thanks," you say with a wince as Charizard looks at you with very wet eyes, "It's okay, dude. No big deal."

You reach a hand to pat him on the horns but then it dawns to you that maybe you should've asked Leon for permission first. The thought hadn't crossed your mind therefore you're quick to retreat and Leon notices, emitting a laugh.

"Go on, he likes to be petted. And he loves tummy rubs too."

"O-oh, right...Cool." you pat Charizard's horn and his tail slams up and down over the ground with affection. "Hey, Leon. How bad is it?"

Leon tiptoes round you to inspect your back. Your coat is waterproof so the material is more durable but you're not sure whether it is flame retardant to a certain degree or not so Leon takes note that it is charred and black all over, especially at your ass. Good news, Charizard's flames didn't burn right through to your trousers and panties. However, Leon does stare for a fraction longer than necessary which warrants you to turn and look at him curiously in response. 

He clears his throat, returns to your side, fitting his snapback over his soft and fluffy purple hair. "I'll pay for the damage."

You shake your head. 

After that shenanigan, the conversation and any further attempts to interact fizz out like a dying candle in the wind. You're far more invested with finding the damn house and the quicker you find it the better.

On the way, you continue fiddling with the radio and try to grab a signal as you hold it high and low in the air and Leon often throws wary glances at you and your device but says nothing of it. You wander down the path, looking up and around and Leon halts in his path all of a sudden.

"What is it?" 

"There," he has spotted a distant glow ahead; it would have been difficult to see if either of you had taken a few steps further. "Do you see that?"

You follow to where he is pointing and indeed, a small trickle of light can be seen peeping out between the thick leaves of the trees and it's suspicious enough; you move towards the bushes, pulling all the thick fauna and branches and leaves away until you are greeted with the brief outline of a large and dark building.

"Leon, you found it!" you exclaim happily.

Oh thank Arceus above! Finally, some good news!! Grinning widely, you look at each other at the same time, elevated to have achieved the goal and it seems everything has returned to normal; there is no awkwardness, no more silence between you, and it occurs to you that he has a really nice _smile_. 

"L-let's go," you stutter out as your heart decides to thud harder than usual and you speedily abort eye contact.

You feel your cheeks growing warm as Leon nods.

The house is completely off path. You have to wade through extensive, overgrown fauna and step through some slimy mud, occasionally getting your foot stuck if Leon wasn't here to help you. Charizard trails after the two of you and snorts as he gets caught in low-hanging branches and he waves his claws around as tiny insects buzz around him. It appears to be a normal path but soon it grows to a long-winded nature trail that takes you far from the main path which the gym challengers are supposed to stick to.

After a long trek that seemed to go on and on, you find yourself in front of a large and dilapidated house and you whip out your book, glancing at the diagram you drew before you spare another glance at the house once again.

"This is it," you say, as Leon peers over your shoulder to look at your drawing. "It's been abandoned for years."

Your drawing matches the house perfectly. The house is as your client described - a two storey mansion, derelict, one single door. Georgian architecture with symmetrical, long and thin, tall windows. There is only one light visible from the top floor, second window from the right.

"Must be a master bedroom, the old man's bedroom perhaps....it must be the source..." you murmur as you look at it in awe.

You proceed to take a step forwards and as though sensing your presences, all the lights flicker on with soft orange glows emitting from all windows.

Leon and Charizard stare at the spectacle, stunned.

"It knows we're here," you murmur under your breath again, "...Note to self: perhaps it is a sentient being?"

"Huh?"

"N-never mind, I'm just talking to myself again."

"Oh, uh...shall we go in?"

You nod without further ado and promptly make a move towards the house until you remember you are not alone; glancing at Leon, you say, "Leon, you don't need to go inside with me. I can take it from here."

He shakes his head. "I'm going with you. I'll protect you," he replies, and your cheeks grow pink once again.

You're aware he means it literally of course, but sometimes when a guy says such words to a girl...

Well... a girl might get the wrong idea.

"Thanks, Leon. I really appreciate this," you utter, before you pull out a small pouch from your pocket and hand it to him, "Take this; it's salt. Salt repels evil spirits. Use it if you need to, create a salt circle and sit in it, all the way until dawn. Keep this with you at all times."

He accepts the packet of salt with some uncertainty. "Thanks."

You give a packet to Charizard but he just ends up tearing it in half and the contents fall to the ground.

You don't bother telling them about anything else that repels or protects against evil spirits because he already has your good luck charm and the salt and that should be enough so you proceed to go up to the front door. Leon follows you with Charizard at his heels. They are both on high alert.

They're extremely brave considering they're dabbling into the unknown and you're stunned they want to continue to stay with you because you have finally located the house and do not require further assistance. They're not as scared as you thought they would be.

Once you're at the door, you swallow down, take a deep breath and knock on the wood and wait as a low, creaky groan emits and echoes around the house. You use the time to inspect the door as no minor detail or feature should be left out although all you can see is that the door is rusted and dull. Only the handle shows use as it's smooth and shiny, indicating many hands have touched this doorknob prior.

"Why are you knocking?" Leon asks in a hushed whisper as he peers over your shoulder.

"It's polite," is your reply.

The door opens.

You and Leon exchange a brief glance as it creaks open a small fraction before you push open the door as wide as possible and you shine your torch inside, the light illuminating the dark walls and revealing an empty corridor.

It's silent.

At the very end of the corridor is a lone door. 

This particular door is ajar and a thin outline of orange lines the walls indicating the light is on within. You can see shadows flitting around too, giving the false pretence that there are people here.

You are about to step inside further until Leon holds his arm out.

"I'll go in first," he says.

His demeanour has changed from goofy goofball to the serious and brave champion of Galar. You stare in surprise at the sudden change as he passes you, strolling in the house without any tremble in his step, followed by Charizard who is keen to protect his best friend.

You tell him that it's best to retrace your client's steps so your group ventures through the corridor, taking note of the staircase to the right that leads to the second floor before you head towards the door and Leon firmly grasps the awaiting handle and pushes down, opening the door.

You watch as Leon enters first with Charizard and you slide inside after him.

It's a room.

You do not see or hear anything out of the ordinary as you glance around; it is nothing but an empty room with peeling wallpaper. There are no furniture, no painting or portrait on the wall, no carpet. There are only two windows in the room, showing the bleary night and trees wavering in the wind outside. 

However, you can’t deny that something is off about this room. 

The atmosphere is suffocating and you draw in heavy breaths.

”Leon, be careful,” you say, “...there’s something evil here. I can sense it.”

Leon and Charizard continue looking up and around until the drastic drop in room temperatures causes you to grow still, having sensed an ominous presence. Numerous chills run down your spine and as your chest goes stiff and your breath begins to shorten, you slowly avert your focus to one corner.

An old man dressed in dirty rags stands with his back to you, facing the wall.

It's as your client had described.

You grab Leon by the arm and point at the apparition; he's seeing what you're seeing too whilst Charizard is ready to attack.

However, you shout, "Who are you? Reveal yourself!"

Immediately, the room flares into life at your demand.

The old man turns, revealing a disgusting, grotesque and deformed face before a scream erupts into the room and the apparition zooms towards your group.

You gasp as Leon throws himself over you and you're pulled into his thick and sturdy chest and Charizard attacks out of fear. Flames burst forth from his mouth and once the flames die away, the old man is nowhere to be seen though you do hear the little pitter patter of footsteps rushing away. 

Whilst Leon clutches you firmly and Charizard pants heavily, you have pinpointed the source of the horrendous screaming, locating it to the top left corner of the room where you see the wavy silhouette of a Misdreavus who quickly disappears into thin air after being spotted as well as a Chandelure that dissolves into the atmosphere.

The screaming stops at once and the lights go off in a split second, bathing everyone in darkness; the only source of light is from Charizard's tail and your torch.

Whilst Charizard huffs, Leon is still holding you tightly.

Strange. Your heart is thudding even harder than before and not from the apparition but rather your close proximity with the Champion... and you're sure he can tell as your chests are pressed together so tightly and your nose is pushed into the soft, downy fabric of his hooded sweater. He smells of musk, fire and earth and his arms are looped around you protectively whilst your fingers curl over his broad shoulders. Your heart gradually races even harder against your ribs when you realise no-one has held you like this before, especially a man.

He swerves his glance down to you. You're not as tall as Leon so when you look up timidly and your eyes meet, you both look away and his grip loosens on you and you're quickly released. He steps away from you, clearing his throat and when you steal a look at him, you see that there is a spray of pink dusting his cheeks. 

"W-well, that explains the screaming and the lights," you stutter, trying to calm your racing heart, "I-it's a Misdreavus and a Chandelure."

You do not receive a response; Leon is silent.

".....A-are you okay?" you croak.

"Y-yeah," he finally grunts out, rubbing the back of his neck, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Whoo, sweet mother of Cherrim, that was something, right?" you laugh awkwardly as you stand near each other in the room, "I gotta hand it to you, Leon, y-you must be a...a sociopath or something if that didn't scare you. And a highly-functioning sociopath to be exact." 

You wonder if you should've said psychopath instead; no matter, you had meant that in the best way possible but Leon's expression forces you to stop laughing. 

"You're okay too," he points out.

"I see these kinds of things often, it is so unoriginal it doesn't scare me anymore," you say as you fold your arms gently behind your back.

"...What kind of things scare you?"

What a funny question to ask, but you suppose you can humour him. "I'll tell you when all of this is over."

"Okay. So, what was that?"

"An illusion," you reply as you take a deep breath. "Allow me to elaborate."

Leon watches as you begin your analysis, stepping around the room.

"I noticed there's no dust here or outside in the corridor. Not a single speck. It's been regularly maintained which tells me this place is important to the occupants. It's their home and it's special to them."

You begin walking around Leon and Charizard, strolling in circles until you nonchalantly step over to where the old man was standing and immediately go on all fours, sniffing the ground whilst Leon and Charizard watch your display with mystified expressions.

"This smell is....Pecha berries," you finish after sniffing the air, before you reach forwards to grab a pluck of rough black fur that is sticking out from one of the gaps of the floorboards.

"Is that from a pokemon?" 

"Yep. A Zorua or Zoroark, maybe. They're masters in the art of illusion."

Leon crosses his arms with a smile playing on his lips; he looks impressed with your findings.

You move to stand, dusting your palms again and placing them on your hips, nodding to yourself.

"Mm-hm. That about sums it up. This is it's home and it's not alone. I'm guessing a lot of ghost pokemon live here and maybe even some dark types. They're harmless and I highly doubt there's actually any ghosts here, just pokemon. They probably just enjoy pranking people or scaring people who stumble across here so they're working together to create the ruse of a haunted house and – _"_

You are interrupted in your explanation when you are violently swept off your feet by an unseen force, your body tossed into the air like a ragdoll and flung against the wall to the far left.

Leon and Charizard rush over immediately as you drop to the floor and roll to your stomach, face-down. "Are you okay?!"

You hiss in pain as Leon helps you up, "Ouch. Uh...yeah, I'm okay. No need to worry, this happens to me a lot too...." you end up croaking out, though you can't help but shiver as soon as the room becomes blanketed with an impermeable darkness that differs from before. It is a darkness which Charizard's lit tail and the light from your torch cannot even penetrate. You add, "Usually in these cases, there are lackeys and the mastermind. In this case, the mastermind is the strongest pokemon here."

Leon looks around cautiously, hoping to catch sight of who or what and Charizard moves to stand in front of the two of you but then you're picked up by the invisible assailant once more, the neck of your coat pulled and tugged and as quickly as you are lifted in the air, you're hastily flung to the other side of the room a second time. On this occasion, Leon grabs onto you by throwing his arms around your waist and you both end up crashing against the wall.

You hear a loud 'crack' and gasp as your pocket radio comes tumbling from your bag and smashes against the floor, having slipped through the opening of your bag which you hadn't zipped up properly.

The radio is broken.

"Shit!" you can't help but curse, "Not again!"

Amused by your anger, the culprit finally reveals itself: a pair of piercing red eyes and a wide, grinning mouth appears in mid-air, snickering sinisterly at your misfortune.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Leon commands, and the flame pokemon obliges, hurtling a huge ball of flame at the pokemon.

The attack misses its target as the pokemon disappears into the darkness for a fraction before it reappears once more. It's murky black and large, with a round body and two stubby arms and legs and spiked head and tail: a Gengar.

For a Gengar, it's bigger than you and Leon had anticipated, compared to the pokedex entries anyway. It's at least the same height as Charizard. It fully manifests before you, rolling around the air with laughter.

"This isn’t funny!" you yell, but it merely sniggers even louder before sticking its long tongue at you and waving its arms together, conjuring a large ball of swirling dark energy which it effortlessly tosses at your group.

Whilst Charizard retaliates with another attack, Leon grabs you and you both go rolling to the side, safe from the attack.

"Thanks, Leon.”

"No problem," he replies as he helps you up. You appreciate how quickly he thinks and reacts to situations like these.

Gengar cackles wildly, holding his tummy as he spins around in the air before his red eyes begin to glow brightly. A ball of white light the size of a golf ball is conjured and with a wave of his finger, he unleashes it towards Charizard's direction, letting it bob along in the air.

It's a Confuse Ray and Charizard dodges though the Confuse Ray chases after him for a moment or so and Leon commands him to use Fire Blast.

Although Gengar is fast enough to evade, Charizard's attack has wide coverage and slams into Gengar in seconds; the ghost pokemon is repelled in mid-air, eyes clenched shut with agony before it ultimately crashes to the floor. 

Remembering his promise to you, Leon pulls an empty Ultra Ball out from his pockets. 

With expert flair, he twists and turns his body back and executes a perfect throw at Gengar. You can tell from how he threw the ball that he has done this many times and has mastered the technique of ball-throwing and the Ultra Ball smacks Gengar right in the face and the critter is sucked into the capsule in a ball of red light. The ball lands on the floor, rolling.

"That looked painful," you murmur, and Leon grins sheepishly at you.

The capsule wobbles once, twice, then it promptly bursts and Gengar re-emerges. Having evaded capture, the pokemon abruptly sinks into the floorboards and disappears from sight and the room returns to silence.

"Let's go after him," Leon suggests, and you nod in agreement.

Your group leave the room, heading down the corridor and though you thought there was nothing else here, there is actually a small set of stairs that lead to the second floor. It's the only way forwards so you head up where a couple of Litwicks, Lampents, Chandelure and Misdreavus sit or hover on the banister and watch curiously as you make your way up. Each step creaks under your feet loudly and your group reach the landing where another long, foreboding and dark stretch of corridor greets you, lined with numerous doors on either side and a few cupboards.

Whilst you wonder where Gengar could have gone, it's then you hear an unfamiliar voice belonging to a male:

" _Gengar, you are hurt. Who did this to you?"_

Various chills run down your spine once more.

"Leon, did you hear that?" you whisper.

"Hear what?"

It's close but there are so many rooms. You could try and split up but according to every horror movie you have seen in your lifetime, splitting up is a terrible idea. Thus your group pass each door one by one only to discover they are locked or boarded up which does not surprise you. The Misdreavus and other ghost pokemon begin to follow you around though they are more interested in watching than assisting.

You are almost halfway through the corridor and up ahead, it seems to split into a T shape until Leon informs you he has found something and would like some more light; returning to his side, you shine the torch to where he is gesturing to where you see a Zorua ducking away from sight, hiding under a rickety cupboard. It yelps weakly and Leon approaches it carefully.

"It's okay, we're not gonna hurt you," Leon says as he moves to kneel on one foot in front of it.

The Zorua stares at Leon with its large teal eyes for a few seconds or so until it slowly crawls out. It's been burned. No doubt, from Charizard.

"I think that's the old man," you say, remembering how you found black fur in the room downstairs.

Charizard snorts apologetically in response but Zorua is too weak to react. The Burn Heal comes in handy now as Leon rummages in his backpack to find the item and proceeds to spray it over the singed fur of the weakened pokemon.

"There you go, that should make you feel better," Leon mutters with a warm smile.

He should be surrounded by talking and singing woodland animals, you think to yourself.

You watch the display before the forceful thump of your heart beating against your ribs makes you snap out of your thoughts and you smile awkwardly at Leon as he glances up at you with a heart-wrenching grin. You swallow down the thick lump in your throat as the thrum of your pulse soars to an astronomical rate.

Leon returns to tend to the Zorua with much gentleness and care that would put a well-trained nurse to shame, pulling out some Pecha berries contained in a medium-sized ziplock bag and handing them to the Pokemon. As Leon lowers his hand with the berries in his palm, it lunges for one and gobbles it happily.

" _Who's there?_ "

The disembodied voice draws your attention once more so you continue down the dark corridor on your own, attempting to locate the source whilst Leon tends to the Zorua. You can hear him chuckling as Zorua licks his fingers.

As you search, you eventually narrow the source of the voice to a door up ahead which is open.

It's a master bedroom; there is a king-sized bed that sits in the very middle and a couple of undistinguished furniture covered in white drapes. Resembling the room and corridor downstairs, it is in impeccable condition and you see it is devoid of any individual.

You can still hear Leon and Zorua in the corridor.

Stepping inside, you immediately catch sight of the massive portrait hanging on the wall that portrays a middle-aged man with bushy brown hair and a stout but kind face, dressed in a royal blue waistcoat with brass buttons, matching white pantaloons and riding boots. Beside him, a Ghastly hovers near his arm and a Zoroark stands to his left.

There is a rusted plaque on the bottom that says 'In Loving Memory of'. The rest is too faded; you cannot make out the name. 

Although you saw a contorted, twisted-looking old man downstairs, you are certain this man featured in this portrait is the basis for the old man. 

"Leon, I found something," you say aloud as you shine the torch up at the portrait though you do not receive a reply, "Leon?"

You stay still, listening.

It's...silent.

You leave the room abruptly and return to the corridor, only to realise that Leon, Charizard and the Zorua are nowhere to be seen. You shine the torch down the corridor and towards the direction of the stairs, the long reach of light touching the walls.

"Leon? Charizard??"

They're gone.

You are on your own.

You begin your search, trekking down the long hallway and returning to where you had found Zorua. There is nothing here, no traces.

They have simply vanished.

There are two doors on your left and right. You try the left door but it's locked so you head for the right, muttering a curse under your breath as you hope they're not playing a horrid prank on you. You do not believe Leon has a mean bone in his body to do such a thing, however.

"I'm too old for this shit," you murmur under your breath.

You remember why you work alone; you're used to investigating terrifying places on your lonesome but since you had arrived with two companions and suddenly having them disappear on you, literally vanishing into thin air, has made you uncomfortable even though it could be Gengar pulling the strings. 

"Become a Pokemon Researcher, they said. It'll be fun, they said," you groan with frustration as you try the door only to discover it is also locked, "Gengar, show yourself. I know it's you. What did you do to them?"

A faint, scratching noise grabs your attention and you spin sharply on your heels to the locked door to the left.

"...Gengar?"

The scratching intensifies and you stand in your little spot, waiting with baited breath as the door clicks on its latch and the handle pushes down, the door slowly creaking open, revealing a long and pale hand. Bony fingers begin slinking through the small gap and pushes the door a fraction, followed by a pale white face with sunken black eyes.

You freeze, your blood turning cold.

_Not Gengar. Can't be Gengar. Different. This is stronger. Darker._

Your eyes grow wide.

_Evil._

You can’t help it; your first instinct is to run which you do. You turn away, heartbeat speeding up, pulse racing, palms growing sweaty. A dull ache makes its presence known in your head and your vision begins to blur, nausea hitting the pit of your gut; however, you force your legs to move and you head down the corridor as quickly as your feet can carry you, your breath shortening as the apparition behind you begins to follow.

_Client was right. Not a Pokemon._

You dash into one of the rooms, flinging the door open and rushing in, slamming the door shut. You grab a black marker from your bag and pull off the lid, hastily drawing a protective symbol on the surface before you press your back against the door.

A hushed silence sweeps over which you find calming and you hold your breath, glancing at the room you have holed yourself up in.

It is empty, with no sign of anything or anyone.

Suddenly, there is a violent slam on the door which makes you squeeze your eyes shut as the door begins to shake, the handle rattling furiously. Digging your heels into the ground, you hold the door shut as much as possible, biting down on your lip as the door trembles viciously under the weight of the force outside that is trying to force its way in.

You do everything in your power to hold the door shut, not to let it in, but it's too strong and you believe you will not be able to hold it for much longer and soon the door will give in.

_What next? Salt circle, good luck charm, earth crystal, iron??_

Those choices seem laughable until you realise you had forgotten one important thing.

_The Odd Keystone._

It's then you see a familiar stretch of shadow at your feet and you glance up.

"Gengar?"

He stands near the window, looking at you, then at the door, which thumps and quakes behind your back with tremendous strength.

The pounding on the door continues until one mighty push sends your heels scraping one inch out of your spot and you gasp as you're forced to throw your right shoulder against the wood with your hands splayed over the surface. You attempt to renew your strength, shifting and leaning your entire body weight on your right foot, pushing down and pressing your entire body against the door.

"Gengar, help me! Grab the Odd Keystone from my bag!!" you exclaim, even though it has absolutely no obligation to assist you in any way, "It's uh...it's a brown stone, smooth to touch. You'll know it when you see it!"

Gengar looks at you in mild disbelief before it floats towards you and glances at your bag, then sticks its hands inside and rummages inside before it lifts out the item you had described.

"Yessss, thank you!" you gush, "Put it on the floor in the middle of the room."

He does as he is told, funnily enough, and looks up at you for the next instruction.

"Now I'm gonna let go of this door. Stay away from the stone, okay?"

He nods.

Swallowing the thick lump in your throat, you throw yourself from the door and it slams open.

A cold rush of air bursts in and you close your eyes as you hurriedly chant under your breath, " _Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio,contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium_."

The keystone begins quivering so you continue, a bright light emitting from the fissure.

" _Imperet illi deus, supplices deprecamur tuque, Princeps militiae coelestis, satanam aliosque spiritus malignos, qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo, divina virtute, in infernum detrude._ ”

It's a mouthful but an ear-splitting shriek tears through the atmosphere when you finish your chant and as you open your eyes, you see a shadow convulsing and writhing furiously in the air as it is enveloped by the bright light.  
  
Unable to break free, the light proceeds to drag it towards the keystone though it resists fiercely and attempts to escape. In a matter of seconds, it is promptly sucked into the keystone and the fissure stops glowing, the stone goes limp and slumps to one side and the room returns to darkness.

Gengar stares before it looks at you, confounded.

Your legs are trembling.

It takes a while for you to calm down.

You decide to wait it out for a few seconds or so before you slowly move to stand.

"...It worked."

Gengar looks at you questioningly as you pick up the Odd Keystone off the floor and hold it up to the air and into the moonlight. You give it a little shake and muffled but horrific shrieking can be heard emitting within. Slipping it into your bag and zipping it up properly, you give it a hefty pat.

"Phew, that's another evil spirit for the collection, and all in a night's work too. If I get up to one hundred and eight, I'll have myself a Spiritomb," you add, nodding to yourself. Turning to Gengar, you say, "Thanks for your help."

Gengar's jaw drops slightly as you murmur a quick prayer to purify the room, then you begin to exit and Gengar follows you keenly.

“What’s wrong?” you ask.

He looks at you somewhat wistfully, clasping his hands together.

”...You...want to come with me?”

He nods furiously.

”...Really?” you cannot mask the astonishment in your voice, “...But isn’t this your home? And what about your master? Will the rest of the Pokemon be okay without you? What about Zorua?”

He nods again but slowly slides his glance to the side, then he pushes himself off the ground to float in the air, circling you wildly and throwing several dark energy balls into nothingness. 

"Oh...that's...wow, I've never had any pokemon say they want to come with me, t-thanks, I'm...I'm honoured. I know you want to fight evil, but I don't do this often. This is just a one off."

He grins anyway.

"Alright then, you can come with me. Let's go find Leon and Charizard for now."

You close the door behind you with Gengar happily floating by your side and when you turn round, dark shadows pop up in front of you and you yelp and stumble backwards, almost falling onto your rear if he didn't grab your arm in time.

"Hey!! Are you alright??"

The Champion stands before you with Charizard and Zorua.

"Leon!" you exclaim.

Unable to help yourself, you throw your arms around him tightly for you are so relieved to see him, eyes curling with happiness as an overwhelming sensation of solace blooms in your chest. You revel in his warmth and the sound of his beating heart which pace matches yours, relieved to be able to hold onto another living and breathing human being.

Taken aback by your hug, Leon grows still whilst Charizard gawks.

You let go of him when you notice how rigid he has become. You must have made him uncomfortable so you are quick to retreat. "Um, s-sorry. So, uh...Where did you and Charizard run off to?"

"Huh? We were looking all over for you. You disappeared."

"...Sorry."

"Never mind, it's fine, I'm just glad we've found each other again so everything's good," Leon says with a grin before he spots Gengar by your side. "What happened?"

"I'll fill you in," you say with a smile, "Let's get outta here first."

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. The quote at the beginning is from The Hobbit.
> 
> 2\. Reader is kick-ass here, evil spirits beware. The chant is a prayer and translates to "Saint Michael Archangel, defend us in battle against the wickedness and snares of the devil, God rebuke him, we humbly pray, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of the ruin of souls in the world by the power of the hell."


	3. Brothers and Sisters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your work here is done, but Leon invites you to camp with him for the rest of the night ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 16.08.2020

**Brothers and Sisters**

...

...

[Ghosts are often bound to specific locations, such as their place of death or a place they had a strong attachment to when they were alive.

They can also be bound to people]

...

...

Before you leave the manor, Leon gives you a spare Burn Heal to give to Gengar. Charizard's fire blast had burned him to a certain extent too so you spray it over his ghostly body and he seems to be feeling a lot better once the medicine sinks in.

It's a shame Leon didn't get the opportunity to witness you seal the evil spirit in the Odd Keystone but you reckon it may be better that way. Not many people believe in ghosts and you have fostered a blooming friendship with the Champion which you don't want to ruin by scaring him off. He probably wouldn't be able to see it either, for not everyone has your gift.

You tell Leon that Gengar has decided to stay with you and assist your study of the supernatural. He also wants to fight evil but again you iterate that you don't do this often. The shadow Pokemon apologises to your group for hurting you earlier on and he also apologises for breaking your radio. Leon accepts the apology graciously and you weren't hurt too badly anyway so everything is all water under the bridge. Also, your radio can be fixed so again, it's not a big deal for you.

It's time to wrap up for the night so Leon and Charizard check up on the remaining wild pokemon that dwell in the mansion whilst you and Gengar return to the master bedroom with Zorua at your heels. Zorua rushes in first, yelping cheerfully as it jumps on the bed and sits down, wagging its tail. Gengar follows; he pats Zorua on the head then follows your gaze to his master's painted portrait on the wall and glances at you.

"That's you when you were a Ghastly, right?" you ask.

He nods.

"And you've stayed here for all those years even though your master is..." you leave your sentence trailing when Gengar casts his gaze to the floor. "How long have you been here?"

Gengar begins counting using his fingers but decides to give up. However, you know the house dates back to the eighteen hundreds so it has been over two hundred years if not more. With a huge grin, Gengar suddenly returns to your side, floating in front of you before he presses the middle of your forehead with his claw.

"What are you-"

You pause when a faint rumbling sound assaults your ears and in your peripheral vision, the room starts to shift.

The white drapes that has been covering the furnishings in the room begin to disappear, revealing overturned furniture which begins to return to their former, upright positions. Broken chairs and table return to stand properly in position and starts to mend, fully restored. Paintings and photoframes lying on the floor also share the same fate, rising off the ground and fixing themselves to stand over the fireplace shelf. The peeling wallpaper repairs itself too, rolling and curling backwards and reattaching over the wall.

"Whoa," you utter. That show on TV about DIY home repair looks like child's play compared to this.

You are so very far, far away. Far away from Leon and Charizard, from the earthly confines of your body, which is now weightless and free. You blink as Gengar's grin widens and he puts his finger to his mouth, indicating a shushing motion before he gestures you to look around your surroundings.

You watch this display in awe until finally, the empty fireplace roars into life and the room becomes illuminated in a soft, tawny glow from the fire that manifests. The house has undergone a massive transformation. No longer is it dark, terrifying and decrepit but it is restored to its former glory.

" _Good evening."_

The man from the portrait appears, standing near the fireplace with a pocket watch in one gloved hand.

Should you curtsy or bow? Would he understand ye new modern English? You bow quickly before you start to stutter out, "A-ah, forgive me, good sir, for trespassing on your property..."

He chuckles as you stutter. " _Do not fret, you are Gengar's esteemed guest_."

Zorua yaps happily and rushes up to the man and you watch in stunned silence as he smiles and picks the small fox up and into his arms. Gengar leaves your side and bounds up to greet his master, before he points at you.

The man raises a thick brow and puffs a thick wad of smoke from his pipe, " _I see_ ," he mutters, " _Gengar tells me you_ _have rid us of a great evil that has plagued our home for many years."_

"Oh, um, it was nothing..."

Gengar continues communicating with his master; it appears he is now asking for permission to accompany you. You can only stare at their brief exchange as the man chuckles.

" _Of course you may, my old friend,"_ the man nods, smiling. _"Gengar, don't be sad. It is time you moved on."_

With his master's blessing, Gengar nods in response and as Zorua leaps out of the man's arms and onto the floor, they share a group hug. Gengar embraces his master tightly whilst Zorua squashes itself between them. The ghost Pokemon squeezes his eyes shut, wiping away some tears before he gently releases his master who responds with a gentle, kind smile.

Gengar slowly hovers to your side and looks up at you.

"Are you sure about this, Gengar?" you ask worriedly.

He nods.

 _"Young trainer,"_ says the man, _"Gengar is a great companion and he has been by my side my entire life_. _My old friend is now under your care. Please, take care of him for me_."

With a determined nod, you reply, "Thank you, sir, I will. And I'll make sure no-one will disturb the house and the Pokemon can live in peace here."

" _Thank you_...."

His voice starts to fade.

Gengar waves.

"Farewell, master," you say, on Gengar's behalf.

The ghost pokemon looks at him with tears in his eyes, which he quickly dabs away, as his master slowly vanishes from sight.

Your group watch as the room begins to return to its dilapidated state, the man's smiling face disappearing into nothingness, his voice reduced to a simple echo caught in the wind. The room returns to normal, the fire dies down and the hearth grows dark and cold. The once splendid decor ebbs away and you are surrounded by the old furniture covered in white drapes. 

For a moment or so, you stand with Gengar and Zorua by your side and they look at you, before you all avert your gazes to the portrait. You clasp your hands together, recite a quiet prayer under your breath and Gengar follows your example, holding his hands together whilst Zorua lowers it's head and closes it's eyes.

You're supposed to regroup with Leon and Charizard at the corridor so after you take a few photos of the room and the portrait, you leave the room with the pokemon and find the Champion standing near the stairs with Charizard, waiting for you.

He looks pleased to see you returning.

"Who were you talking to?" he asks.

"The master of the house," you reply as you head towards their direction and stop shortly in front of him, and he blinks with wide eyes, brows raising.

It occurs to you that you really like the colour of Leon's eyes; even though it's terribly dark here, they are a beautiful shade and they shine brightly in the gloom....like deep pools of liquid gold. Golden syrup. Honey. Even his brows are perfect, nice and finely sculpted. 

You stop yourself from thinking any further about Leon's soulful eyes and amazing eyebrows and throw a casual glance to the side, clearing your throat. "I think he's moved on now. It's all good," you croak out. You hope he didn't notice that you were staring.

"We can go now?" 

"Yep."

Leon spots the little black fox pokemon by your feet, "Oh, Zorua wants to come too?" 

"Yeah, he wants to-"

Zorua yaps loudly and bites and tugs at your socks and shoelaces.

"Whoops, sorry, _she_ wants to come with us. Well, more like escort us.”

Leon grins in response.

The trip to the exit is a quiet one.

Along the way, the corridors grow illuminated with light from the Litwicks and their evolutionaries and all the wild pokemon that have sought sanctuary in the manor slowly leave their hiding places. There's far more pokemon that have taken up residence than you had realised, with several Zorua and Zoroark families, a couple of Ghastlys, Haunters, Murkrows and even some dark type Zigzagoons too. It's a safe haven for them and the pokemon help guide you out of the house safely.

Leon glances around with a smile on his face as various types of pokemon peep out from every nook and cranny. Some of the pokemon wave and you and Leon wave back. There is something satisfying in having sussed out a mystery and you know this feeling all too well.

Also, Leon is a gentleman so he lets you go down the stairs first and once you're both downstairs, he opens the front door for you. You thank him and you think you see another display of pink on his cheeks but you're not so sure. It could've been the lighting.

Once you're outside, Leon and Charizard watch as you close the door shut with Gengar and Zorua scurrying after you. You usher the pokemon to a safe distance as you move to stand a few feet away and pull your sleeves up, raising your arms in the air gently.

" _In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti,"_ you say aloud with your eyes closed, _"Pater Noster. Qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum, fiat voluntus tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris, et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen_."

Leon watches as you re-open your eyes and step backwards. 

"There, all done. The house is now blessed and protected from evil," you say, dusting your palms. 

"That was..." he pauses to reassess his question before he asks curiously, "Where did you learn this?"

"I have a mentor. His name's Ezra and people say he's terrifying but I think he's absolutely brilliant. If he's around, I'll introduce you. Hmm, maybe I'll ask Ezra to check out the house too if he's not busy."

"I see," Leon replies, "What you said just there...those words, that language...it sounded amazing."

Once the compliment rolls off his tongue, your cheeks go bright red which he notices and the stuttering begins. 

"Oh, uh, I-I mean that-"

As he attempts to correct himself, you say quickly, "Thanks, Leon. And... thanks for not laughing."

"Why would I laugh?"

"I've had loads of people laugh, or accuse me of doing cheap parlour tricks, that I'm a crazy person."

"I don't think you're a crazy person."

Your cheeks feel warm all over again as you put your hands behind your back and cross your legs as you stand on the spot, glancing at your shoes. "Thanks, that's the nicest thing someone has ever said to me."

When you look back up to give him a wide smile, he chuckles loudly, eyes creasing with content. As he crosses his arms, he throws his glance to the side with a casual grin, then flicks those large, honey-coloured doe eyes at you, and his grin widens. 

Your heartbeat soars and Gengar looks at you strangely. You reckon he is able to sense your change in disposition because he flings glances between you and Leon before he grins to himself and whilst poor Zorua looks a little lost, Gengar whispers something in the little fox's ear. 

Meanwhile, you cannot help but gawk at Leon. Not only do you like the colour of his eyes and the way he smiles, but you also like the way he _laughs_. It makes your face grow ten times hot and you can't help but smile.

"W-Well, that's everything I came here for," you also cannot avoid your own stammering. With much reluctance, you add, "I guess this means goodbye?"

Leon goes silent at once and his expression falls.

"What's wrong? You look lost."

Now he looks surprised. "How did you know?"

"Oh. Uh....Do you want to go back together? I could take you to the Rolling Fields. I know the way back."

Glancing around, Leon says, "Okay, but I think we should find a place to set up camp for the rest of the night though. You should join us."

"Huh?! Oh, I-I don't want to impose."

"You're not imposing at all." 

You are stunned by Leon's generous offer and as Gengar and Zorua nudges you encouragingly, you accept.

Thus your group leaves the vicinity of the house and returns to the downtrodden gym challenger's path and to the Grove where you will attempt to find a suitable place to camp for the night. On the way, Gengar hitches a ride in your shadow and Zorua sits atop Charizard's head. Leon asks if you need an empty Ultra Ball for Gengar but you inform him you don't need him to be kept in any capsule of some sort.

You're not good at camping since as a researcher you are usually on the move for the entire night and you don't even bring tents with you but tonight you will make an exception for Leon and take a break. He finds an acceptable spot by the lake where it is cool and also it's a close source to water which would be good for cooking and washing up in.

Charizard spits a ball of fire over some wood you had collected and it's time to get the tent up and ready; however, not only is Leon atrocious with directions but he is lacklustre with the tent's preparation guidelines which is far too vague and disorienting so the end result of Leon's labour looks nothing like the picture on the manual. 

Charizard ends up having to step in and assist, sitting on his haunches with the manual propped up in front of him and turning page after page using his claw as delicately as he can. Occasionally, he'll scratch his dragon noodle as he tries to make sense of the instructions. He ends up borrowing your pair of reading glasses too.

Once the tent is fixed with Charizard and Zorua's help, you and Leon unfurl your sleeping bags inside. The tent is pretty small so your sleeping bags are laid out quite close together. 

Leon's sleeping bag is unsurprisingly the colour and theme of Charizard whilst yours resembles a Caterpie so when you curl up as you sleep, you look like the caterpillar pokemon. Super cute, but doesn't go well if you are outdoors and there are hungry Pidgeots in the area.

You crawl out of the tiny tent and to the cooking area where you see Leon sitting near the fire; you join his side as he begins bringing out some food from his backpack. He scoops out a metal cooking pan, several cans of pokemon beans, one portion of the infamous Bob's Food Tin, a loaf of brioche and two plastic tupperware dishes full of pre-cooked curry and two bottles of fresh water.

"There we go," he says, looking rather pleased with himself. "I hope you like spicy fried food curry."

You're worried he's digging into his supplies that are supposed to last him for his private training with Charizard. You recall he hadn't told you how long he was supposed to be training for so you scoop out all your snacks, including the pack of dried food and nut mix and the moomoo cheese, and ease it towards him.

"Here, take these. You need them more than I do."

"Are you sure?"

You nod.

Leon thanks you and begins opening the plastic tubs and you assist, using the cutlery to scoop the curry and rice and the fried food into the metal pan, and Leon begins heating up the food over the fire.

"Having Charizard is really handy, huh?" you mutter, as you open the Pokemon beans and empty some into the bowls for the pokemon.

"Yep! You should get yourself a fire-type, too."

"I'll think about it."

Zorua suddenly trots up to you with Leon's bag of berries which is now devoid of pecha berries and she puts it down on the ground, tail wagging. She wants more. You will need to find a way to make it up to Leon for this and so you leave the campsite briefly to locate berry trees, eventually finding a small cluster not too far away from the campsite. They're quite large compared to the usual berry trees.

Using your torch, you check each tree meticulously and finally find one with branches full of Pecha berries although they are quite high up.

Rolling your sleeves to your elbows, you put your torch to your mouth, clamping the handle with your teeth and proceed to jump and grab onto one of the lower branches, swinging slightly in the air and feeling the tension in your underused muscles before you clumsily hike your legs up and lock your ankles around the branch. So far, so good. You pull yourself up to stand and then do the same for the next branch and soon, you have climbed the tree to a great height. You steel your nerves and will yourself not to look down.

When you arrive at a branch with berries, you slowly stand to balance on the branch and grab onto the trunk with one hand, carefully inch your feet over the wobbly branch and take baby steps before you reach out with your other arm. You pull on one of the smaller branches and check the bundle. You better not lose balance here or else you'll have a one way ticket to the spirit world.

It's looking good; you see a bunch of the plump, pink berries and pick them off, just when you hear a voice from down below.

"What are you doing?"

Leon's voice comes from out of virtually nowhere and you are completely thrown off balance, your foot losing grip and you find yourself slipping off. You let out a shriek as you plummet to the ground below. 

You squeeze your eyes shut to brace for impact but Leon quickly rushes over to catch you before you hit the ground and you land into his awaiting arms with a loud 'thump'. You re-open your eyes with a gasp and glance up at him, your gazes meeting. 

"That was close!" he says cheerfully, "You okay?"

Your faces are merely inches away from each other and heat rises to your cheeks once more as you gawk at him.

"...Leon!" you finally breathe out, "Thank you..."

"You're welcome. What were you trying to do?"

"Th-the berries...for Zorua." you point to the berry bundle above and he throws his glance to where you are pointing to.

"Oh, there's an easier way to get berries from a tree. I'll show you."

Your heart is thumping hard as he lets you stand on your two feet. You can still feel his warmth enveloping you from all four corners and you are reduced to a blushing mess when you consider what had just happened. He had caught you, he saved you. He held you bridal style. Your faces were so close too.

You don't want to mistake his friendliness for flirting in any way so you brush away those thoughts and your heart rate gradually returns to normal.

Oblivious to your mental turmoil, Leon guides you towards the berry tree and instructs you to stand in front of the trunk, then he moves to stand behind you, planting his feet firmly into the earth. Whilst you attempt to twist round to see what he's up to, he takes your hands with his and gingerly places your palms flat against the trunk.

You grow still once more, eyes widening for the umpteenth time tonight as you stare at his large hands over yours.

You can even feel him leaning over your shoulder, lips by your ear. 

"To get berries easily, all you need to do is give it a good shake. Like this!" Leon says, and he starts to shake the tree with you in his grip and you end up slamming against the tree trunk and against his chest as you rock back and forth.

"Eep!" you can't help but squeak.

However, a couple of berries drop to the ground from the force of your combined strength but you are so embarrassed, you shakily pull your hands free from Leon's, turn round with your back pressed up against the tree and now it is even more awkward as he faces you, blinking blankly; it's as though he's cornering you against the tree.

"O-okay, thanks, Leon. Thank you for showing me the art of shaking berry trees. That was kind of hard."

"Gym challengers do it all the time so I know you'll become a professional at this too," he replies, before he lets go of the tree to throw a look over his shoulder, "The curry's ready. We should go back."

"Yeah..."

Leon lets you collect the berries on your own whilst he jogs back to the cooking pot to check out the food. It's almost burnt but he gets there in time to ease it off the fire. When you are finished retrieving the berries, you return to the campsite and plop yourself down near the fire, still rattled and very shaken from the experience. 

The food is piping hot so you and Leon sit with bowls in your laps and chat about a range of topics from Leon's Pokemon to you being a Researcher and occasional ghost hunter whilst the pokemon gulp down their food.

Gengar finally appears, rising from your shadow with a sinister cackle (though he's not fooling or scaring anyone) and he nestles himself beside Zorua and Charizard and begins wolfing down.

You watch them eat; at first, they look concerned with this modern food but once they get a taste and they can't seem to get enough of it. Gengar's mouth enlarges and he empties the entire bowl upside down his gullet. 

You're worried he might end up eating the bowl too but once they both finish eating, they waddle up to Leon; Gengar holds his bowl in hands and Zorua clutches hers in her mouth.

They look at Leon with big watery eyes, hoping for seconds.

Leon obliges and cheerfully fills their bowls with a hefty helping of pokemon beans and some spare curry.

"Gengar's a strong pokemon," he says, as he watches them eat like there is no tomorrow, "he'll do well in protecting you."

You nod in agreement. "Hey Gengar."

The shadow Pokemon looks up, a few beans stuck around his mouth. 

"What other moves do you know?"

Gengar ponders for a second or so, then floats up and into the air, circling his hands until a dark beam of energy appears and he shoots it at a tree, flattening it in seconds.

"Dark Pulse. Awesome."

Next, he lifts out a massive nail from behind his back with a huge grin on his face and violently stabs it into his chest and drives it further into his body until the sharp, pointed tip exits out of his back.

"WHOA! Okay, no, no, no, not that one. No Curse, okay? Forget that move."

Gengar looks confused but shrugs, dismisses the nail, and continues to eat.

After dinner, you help Leon with the washing up and as he puts away his supplies, you crawl into the tent and sit in your sleeping bag and fix your torch to dangle from a hook on the top of the tent to resemble a proper light. Outside and the pokemon are now exhausted as Charizard curls up silently on the ground. He pulls a blanket over himself and closes his eyes whilst Zorua jumps onto his back and buries herself underneath the blanket; Charizard opens one eye lazily but does not protest. Gengar jumps into your shadow again, disappearing from sight.

It's just you and Leon.

Checking your watch, it is now past two am in the morning.

Dawn is creeping up soon and you will head back to Wedgehurst. You wonder what Leon will do next but either way, you will split up. 

You peel your coat off, assessing the damage from Charizard's fire from earlier. It's no good, you will need a new one. You fold the coat up and grab your bag next, pulling out your now-broken radio to inspect it. The screen is smashed, the antenna has fallen off and as you lift it up, the casing at the back falls off and a few wires and a cog pops out and drops to the floor of the tent. You collect the scattered items and try to slot them back to their assumed positions and try rotating the dial but no sound can be heard.

You put the radio down and move onto your journal, opening it to a new page where you begin doodling some sketches of the evil spirit and the man in the portrait until the tent zipper tugs all the way down and Leon crawls in.

"Hey," he greets you, zips the tent back up and moves to sit cross-legged over his sleeping bag. "What's that?”

"My journal. I detail all my investigations here. I have a blog too," you reply, and Leon scoots a little closer to you so he can have a better look.

You've sketched the man in the portrait with his name underneath. You have also written down that he was a Duke who had lent his home to abandoned and hurt pokemon, namely ghost and dark-types. There is also a sketch of the Odd Keystone, the evil spirit and Gengar firing a shadow ball.

"So for this case, an evil spirit had taken over Gengar's mansion and had been terrorising it for years. I reckon the Pokemon haven't been able to get rid of it until I came along, so they always frightened off people so they wouldn't get hurt."

He asks you questions about the evil spirit such as its origin and what it wanted but you give him vague answers because you're not so sure yourself and may need to ask Gengar later.

"Often there are no explanations," you end up admitting.

Turning the pages, you show him your other sketches consisting of symbols, talismans and even a diagram of a sword. Then you show him notes from previous investigations you had completed, ranging from a group of Haunters playing tricks in a cemetery to a ghostly figure spotted near the South Lake Miloch who was safeguarding a family treasure hidden at the lake bottom. You needed help of frogmen for that one and once the treasure was recovered, returned it to the rightful owners.

Leon studies these entries and as you flip through the book, he asks you to stop at a random entry and says, “What’s this one?”

”Oh, this one is still ongoing. People have been going missing near the Giant’s Seat. You should avoid that area if you can.”

Next, a photo drops out from between the pages and Leon helps pick it up and turns it round. The glossy print shows yourself and a little girl with a Sinistea and Cutiefly, standing in front of a couple. Everyone is smiling.

"Is this your family?" he asks. 

As Leon hands you the photo, you quickly slot it inside the thick pages of your journal and close the book shut. "Yeah."

"I'll show you my family too," Leon says with a grin. He grabs his bag from the side, hauls it over and sticks a hand in, fishes for his wallet and pulls out a small photo of his family which he hands to you.

It's a photo of a young Leon with his parents, holding an infant in his arms. It's his little brother and you throw a glance at Leon, then at the child. "You look so alike!" you exclaim. They have the same purple hair and the bright, golden eyes. "You both look so cute."

Leon brushes a hand through his hair, cheeks going pink. "Yep, and he's going to be ten this year."

"Wow, he's almost starting his pokemon journey soon! Or has he started already?"

"Not yet."

"My sister-"

You stop yourself in time.

Leon waits but you don't finish your sentence.

Instead, your expression dampens and you simmer into a brief silence as you sit in your spot, facing the wall of the tent before you utter, "So, your brother.... What's his name?"

Even though you had deliberately changed the direction of the conversation, Leon doesn't seem to mind and you're thankful that he doesn't pry. 

Leon says proudly, "His name is Hop."

"That's adorable."

"He likes Wooloo."

"Does he like plushies? I have a spare Wooloo plushie if he would like one."

"Ah, that's...sure, thanks. He'll like it very much." Leon replies; you feel he is just saying that to be polite but you don't mind. Sonia's habit of collecting plushies had rubbed off on you and you had got yourself too many Wooloo plushies when you had gone shopping with her.

"Great, just pop by the lab or house and I'll have it ready."

"Thanks. Hey, uh....can I tell you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Can we watch the sunrise together?"

You blink at him blankly before your cheeks go hot again. You mentally kick yourself for the amount of times you have blushed tonight but you end up nodding and saying, "Of course."

Leon smiles in response. "Thanks. Also...I wanted to say that this has been really nice."

"The food? Yeah, it was really yummy."

He shakes his head. "No, not the food. I mean _this._ Talking to you, talking about my family, talking without having to think twice or being careful. I haven't spoken to anyone like this for a long time....without feeling like I can't make mistakes or have to stick to a script or...or say something I don't believe in."

"Like what?"

"Like....this brand of soda pop is good when it's not," he replies and you give him a sympathetic look. Before you can reply, Leon chuckles under his breath. "It's not as bad as I make it sound. Sorry, that probably sounded weird. I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean to make things awkward. Sorry."

"No, no, don't apologise. Is there anything I can do? Oh, I know, whatever it is, feel free to let it out. I'm serious, don't keep it bottled up, it won't do you any good and you might feel worse. If you're angry or frustrated or annoyed, go on and let it all out, get it off your chest."

"Ah, well...I can't think of anything right now."

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that he isn't being truthful but you won't push him if he's uncomfortable. "That's okay, just let me know whenever you want to talk. You have my number anyway."

He grins. "Yeah...I do."

Despite the minuscule light of the tent, you can tell he's going pink again in the cheeks as he throws his glance to his lap with a smile on his face.

"Actually, I think this has been really nice too," you say, "I mean...I'm always on my own."

Leon looks up at you and your eyes meet once more. "You are?"

"Yeah."

"Then...do you want to do this again?" he asks, and he leans forwards slowly in his seat, his face nearing yours, "As in....meet up again? And eat and talk and share a tent like this?"

You nod, though you wonder if it's allowed since Leon is the Champion of Galar and if he can be seen gallivanting around so freely with you....or talking to you like this. Or if you should be seen talking to him, if it all.

"Okay, then let's...let's do this again sometime," he says.

"Maybe we could even watch a movie?"

Leon's eyes widens and your eyes grow to the size of saucers too when the gravity of what you have just suggested registers in your mind. It sounded as though you were hinting to Leon, the unbeatable reigning Champion of Galar, to go on a date with you. To shake off any growing misunderstandings, you quickly shake your head and wave your hands in the air.

"Ack! Sorry, I-I didn't mean to be so...uh, I was just... throwing it out there, y'know? Um...you don’t have to if you don’t...if you don't want to.”

"Oh," Leon's face falls slightly, "A movie would've been nice. I can't remember the last time I went to see one in cinema because I've been so busy."

Your jaw drops slightly. "R-really?"

"Yeah."

"Is there a movie you want to watch?"

He ponders but ultimately shakes his head. "...I have a confession to make. I don't even know what's out these days."

"We don't have to watch anything new, we could start with an old movie. A classic, a movie everyone has seen! How about....'Citizen Kangaskhan'?" 

"What's that?"

You begin to talk animatedly, sitting upright in your spot and gesturing wildly with your arms. "It's an amazing movie, a biopic about the life of a Kangaskhan! It was voted the best movie of all time! I'll check if it's on TV. It's usually on during weekends late at night and on random days but it's a fantastic movie and you should definitely see it at least once."

"I'll need to check if I'm free though."

That makes you deflate once more. "Ah, right. Gotcha, since you're the...Champion of Galar and all."

With that said, you both simmer into silence. 

Occasionally, he will throw you a glance and then you will look up and your eyes will meet. You expect him to say something but he doesn't and neither do you, so you both hurriedly look away, but then you will feel Leon's gaze returning to you once more and you discover you are too nervous to meet his eye. This bizarre, newfound tension between you and the Champion has left you confused.

"You never told me-" "I was thinking-"

You find yourself blinking wide-eyed at Leon whilst he does the same for you have spoken simultaneously.

"You go first." "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

Again, you speak at the same time. You cringe inwardly. This is so awkward.

Leon grins, trying his hardest not to laugh, "On you go."

"No, it's okay, you go first. Or else we're gonna be up all night."

A chuckle escapes the back of his throat, "Okay. What kind of things scare you?"

"Huh?"

"You said you were going to tell me when it was over."

"Oh, right. Well, most people would be afraid of bug pokemon, afraid of the dark, afraid of public speaking, afraid of clowns...I don't really have those kinds of phobias."

"So... you're not afraid of anything?"

"Not exactly. When I couldn’t find you and Charizard in the house, I got worried. You guys just... vanished. People disappearing into thin air... it scares me.”

Suddenly, it has become suffocating in the tent and you find you cannot bring yourself to share anything else with Leon.

"I need some air," you say before he can reply, and you crawl towards the zip of the tent, pulling it down.

You climb out of the tent and stand, resting a hand on your hip. You brush your other hand through your hair, exhaling heavily. You cannot believe how much you are talking to Leon and how much more there is that you can talk to him about. You want to ask him more about his family, what it's like being Champion. You hope he feels the same.

Normally you wouldn’t share a tent with someone you barely know either but it is not like you have much choice anyway. You either stay in the warm and cosy tent with Leon or sit outside and freeze your ass off.

That’s not it though.

There's some strange tension between yourself and Leon and you can't quite put a finger to it. 

Glancing around, you see Charizard and Zorua snoring near the fire and you smile at them before pulling out your Rotom phone to check up on your blog. You had updated your blog an hour ago with a photo of you and Gengar and also a brief summary of tonight's events. You have a modest number of followers and have received several likes. Scrolling down, you see you even have a new comment on your latest post.

"Neat!" you exclaim to yourself, swiping the screen to see what it says but when you let your eyes roam over the content, your face falls. It is a comment from an anonymous user called 'Spoinkmyass123', saying ' _FAKE FAKE FAKE U FAKER_ '.

You close the page. Sighing, you return Rotom to your pocket and hang your head low. Not everyone will believe what you do, the things you have seen. There will always be someone who will discredit your work and pictures.

You decide to return to the tent as the night wears on.

Leon’s tired so he tells you he will be going to sleep whereas you will be staying up for the remainder of the night so Leon buries himself into his sleeping bag and in a few minutes, he’s out like a light, snoozing gently. You will wake him up when it's almost sunrise. Grabbing your torch, you sit cross-legged in your corner and lower the light to its minimum so not to disturb Leon and begin drawing and writing in your journal.

_On the way to investigate a client's claims of a haunted house located deep in the woods of the Wild Area, I met the Champion of Galar. He’s friendly and kind (and incredibly handsome). He was also the one who spotted the house first so I would not have completed tonight's investigation if it was not for him. He was extremely brave when we investigated. He has even invited me to camp with him and we will watch the sunrise together._

Placing your pen down, you think about the way Leon held you, how he caught you in his arms, how he smiles, how he laughs and how he grins. You also think about his rock hard biceps, his musky smell, his dreamy golden eyes and his amazing eyebrows. Before you realise, you have begun sketching a quick image of him under your small paragraph.

_Wow, okay, I should stop. He is Champion, remember??? I probably spoke too freely around him. I even asked if he wanted to go see a friggin' movie! Imagine that! Asking the Champion of Galar to go see a movie with little ol' me. I need to get in line. It's a known fact that every girl in Galar has a huge crush on him!_

You are about to put away your journal until your radio suddenly emits a loud static; though it struggles, being broken and all, the same scratchy voice from before can be heard.

"... _Help....any....there? ..........dark here..._ " 

You glance at Leon but he doesn't stir and so you lift the radio near your mouth. "....Rosie? Is that you?" you whisper. 

Dreadful sobs begin emitting from the radio.

"I'm here. Where are you?" you hiss under your breath. The radio continues crackling, it's difficult to get a clear response.

"......... _-re_ _am I?_ "

The static grows louder. 

" _I'm-_ "

"Can you hear me? Where are you????"

" _I'm here_."

The voice is as clear as day all of a sudden.

You immediately grab your torch and pull down the zip of the tent to shine the light outside in the darkness. Leon groans under his breath as the radio emits a short click and grows silent once more.

"Rosie??” you call into the darkness.

There is no response.

You wave the torch up and down through the campsite, scanning the area. Your breathing is erratic before a noise to the left catches your attention and you whip the flashlight to the source; it's just a Noctowl in the trees, pecking at its wing. You move the light away, letting it roam once more over the camping area. The long beam of light catches Charizard nearby and he grumbles and scratches his belly. 

There's nothing here.

You retreat into the tent, zipping it up. Throwing a glance at Leon, he dozes peacefully in his sleeping bag and you occasionally hear him mumble and groan incoherently under his breath. Whilst you wonder what he's possibly dreaming about, you grab your journal and open it once more, pulling out your family photo. You think about Leon and when he was excitedly telling you about his little brother before you glance at the photo in your hands, at the happy faces, and the corner of your eyes grow wet.

Rubbing at your eyes, you hurriedly put the photo down and pull your knees to your chest.

Dawn will be approaching in two hours.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Citizen Kangaskhan - parody of Citizen Kane, one of the greatest movies I’ve ever seen. It was actually voted the best movie at some point until taken over by Vertigo.


	4. Have You Seen My Son?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You part ways with Leon, who discovers you are not popular with farmers. On the other hand, you become popular with an unlikely bunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 20.08.2020

**Have You Seen My Son?**

...

...

[It is estimated that 8 million children around the world go missing each year]

...

...

When it's almost sunrise, a Vullaby squawks somewhere in the distance and you turn to Leon and give him a little shake. "Leon, wake up."

He's lying on his back and up close you can see his long eyelashes and angular features and you feel bad for waking him up considering how comfortable and peaceful he looks. He begins to stir in his sleeping bag and murmurs and groans under his breath before he opens his eyes wearily and glances up where he sees you looking at him from above. His eyes grow wide.

You notice that he's staring but you turn away to roll your sleeping bag properly. "It's almost time to watch the sunrise. It's freezing, so wear something warm."

"Oh, right," Leon croaks out groggily as he moves to sit up, then he throws a glance to you as you get ready, pulling the straps of your bag over your shoulders and tugging on them firmly. He rolls out of his sleeping bag and you leave the tent, letting him get changed in private.

It's extremely chilly outside as you wait for him and your damaged coat isn't doing very well in the frigid air so you rub your arms in an attempt to keep warm, teeth chattering as you stand shivering on the spot until Charizard creates a fire for you so you thank him, hop over and warm yourself until Leon emerges from the tent in his white, woolly sweats and looking very warm. His long hair is a tangled mess though, sticking up in all possible directions which makes you giggle.

"...Mornin'," Leon greets you rather gruffly; his voice is slightly hoarse.

"Good morning. Here, have some water," you unscrew the lid off a flask and give him it; he accepts it with a mutter of thanks and downs one big gulp.

Then he slips on his shoes and grabs a comb from his bag, using it to quickly tame his unruly hair before he decides to tie it in a low ponytail. "I'll be back in a few minutes..."

He wanders off with a small drawstring bag which he slings over one broad shoulder, possibly to brush his teeth and wash his face which you had done so in the morning. Charizard goes with him, probably to ensure he doesn't get lost along the way. You wait by the fire and Zorua wakes up, stretching on her frontal paws before she looks at you and you feed her some berries and play with her.

Leon returns shortly, looking slightly more awake. "Should we go?"

"Do you want something to eat first?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Okay, let's go then. I know a good spot. Follow me."

Zorua leaps on top of Charizard's head as you and Leon begin your trek. He definitely seems more awake now as he walks with Charizard though your journey is spent in silence. The spot for watching the sunrise is a grassy hill which isn't far away from your campsite at all so in a few minutes down the path and you locate the hill and turn to Leon with a grin.

"Here we are."

Leon offers you a gentle smile and you both head up. It's not steep at all and it's not rocky in the slightest, but Leon gives you his hand just in case. You smile at him awkwardly as you slip your hand in his and he helps pull you up though it's not necessary.

Eventually, you arrive at the top of the hill and head to the edge before you carefully lower yourself to sit cross-legged with Zorua in your lap whilst Leon sits beside you and Charizard plops down beside him.

Though not as stunning as the view from the Meetup Spot, the hill grants a breathtaking view of the Wild Area from the Grove where you can see a huge stretch of grassy pastures below, including various rivers and lakes bathed in darkness.

In the horizon, the sun peeks out from the mountain and the sky is streaked with orange and red hues. The breeze is stronger and colder and you let out a sneeze.

As you mutter a quick ' _bless me_ ' under your breath and rub at your nose with a tissue, Leon quickly pulls off his sweater and drapes it around your shoulders and over your back. You go still, wide-eyed.

"This'll keep you warm," Leon says as he tucks the sweater in and loops the arms around your neck.

You end up shrinking away from him which you hope he doesn't notice. "...Thanks, Leon."

"You're welcome."

Leon's sweater is wrapped tightly around you and he is left in this tight, long-sleeved black shirt but the cold doesn't seem to affect him. Charizard watches your interaction with the champion from the corner of his eye before he snickers under his breath in wheezy huffs.

"Were you up all night?" Leon adds when he notices that you appear slightly drained, and you nod. He winces slightly at your response but you shrug.

"I'm used to it. I'm the equivalent of a Noctowl. How about you? Did you sleep okay last night?"

"Yep!" he says cheerfully.

"Good," you reply, as it appears he didn't hear the radio going off last night, and your wristwatch beeps, indicating the sunrise is due to start.

You and Leon grow silent and focus on the magnificent view before your very eyes as the sun begins to creep up over the mountain and light pours into the valley. It dispels the darkness easily, the light growing brighter and brighter until the clouds are dissolved in a tawny, gentle hue. As the sun begins its gradual ascent, the sky brightens up entirely and bathes the landscape with a warm glow. The sunlight becomes so intense that you have to shield your eyes and Leon does the same.

When the light becomes bearable and the atmosphere grows slightly warmer, you lower your arm, close your eyes and inhale a deep breath, holding it in for a few seconds before exhaling with content. The sunlight feels nice on your face.

"Getting to see the sunrise is the best part of my day," you murmur under your breath as you re-open your eyes, curling your fist before you hold it triumphantly in the air, "In the end, light will always conquer darkness."

Leon ponders your words carefully then he says, "I once told myself I would see the sunrise with someone special," Upon realising what he'd just blurted out, he begins to attempt to correct himself.

You let out a loud laugh in response, "It's fine, Leon. You can bring your special someone here next time. Just don't tell them I showed you this place first."

"Ah...y-yeah."

The sunrise is over so it's time to head back. Your trip back to camp is in silence which you don't mind and you return Leon's hoodie to him and he mumbles his thanks. It looks like Leon has not recovered from what he'd unintentionally let slip despite your reassurance.

Although it's time for you to split ways, Leon asks if you want to stay for some breakfast which you agree to after your stomach rumbles loudly in front of him. He laughs (much to your embarrassment) and brings out some food for you and Charizard to start cooking whilst he finishes stowing away the tent and pack the majority of his camping supplies into his bag.

When he's completed his task, he returns to the cooking area where you have all gathered, cooking some beans and slices of toast in the metal pan. Charizard waits with his bowl whilst Zorua sits beside you with her legs folded and her tail wagging in the air, watching. Gengar stays in your shadow, unwilling to come out or be active during the day.

Once you have finished heating the beans and toasting the bread, Charizard hands you his bowl.

"It must suck not having thumbs," you utter as you empty some beans and toast into the bowl, which you then hand to the flame pokemon. You do the same, slipping in some food for Leon which you hand to him.

As you begin to eat, you notice it's actually been a while since you have eaten breakfast with someone who wasn't Sonia or Professor Magnolia. You crunch your toast, musing to yourself. You want to say something to Leon but you discover you are quite nervous though you do spare him a quick sideways glance to see what he is up to every now and then, only to realise that he has been staring at you and when he realises he has been caught, he hastily looks away.

The same tension from last night is returning.

After you finish eating, you wash up quickly and Leon packs the remainder of his belongings before extinguishing the fire. The campsite is now empty. It is as though no-one had stayed here.

Zorua is the first to leave.

She has decided to return to the manor and has assured everyone that she can make her way on her own. She transforms herself into a little rosy-cheeked, pigtailed farm girl so not to draw attention to herself nor does she want to risk being captured by some plucky trainer. You give her an additional helping of Pecha berries in a small ziplock bag to take away and enjoy but she ends up carrying the bag in her mouth and gleefully scampers through the woods on all fours and out of sight.

You and Leon watch before you sigh haplessly. 

It's also time to take Leon back to the Dappled Grove where you will split up but the trek will take roughly two or three hours maximum.

You're about to set foot onto the trail until the sounds of wooden wheels rolling over the gritty path coupled with the rhythmic trotting of hooves heading towards your direction forces you and Leon to turn round.

A grizzled-looking Tauros is pulling an old-fashioned wagon towards your direction. A man in a loose flannel shirt, matching slacks, brown jacket and grey flatcap is perched at the front of the carriage with a frail-looking woman by his left, his wife presumably, and once they spot you, they get Tauros to come to a gradual stop.

"Easy there, Toro," the man drawls, before he turns to Leon and tips his hat, "Good mornin'. What're you doin' all the way out here, Mr Champion?" 

You recognise the man. He is one of the farmers who works for Turrfield Orchards, a popular supplier of produce. You are aware that this farmer makes regular trips to Motostoke in the early hours of the morning from a farm somewhere in the Rolling Fields and you've seen him various times when you leave the Wild Area at dawn but he never speaks to you.

"Good morning, mister," Leon says cheerily with a grin; he tips his snapback in response, "We're on our way to the Dappled Grove."

"What a coincidence, we’re on our way there too. Ain't that right, dear?" the farmer barks out jovially, turning to his wife with a chuckle. "If you walk, it’s gonna take about three hours tops. Why dontcha hitch a ride wi' us? We'll get you there in no time!"

"Thanks!" Leon replies, and he glances at you with a grin before he heads over to the side of the caravan which is transporting several bales of hay and huge pots of berries. Leon recalls Charizard then throws his bag into the awaiting carriage. You can only smile at him awkwardly as you trail after the champion.

However, the farmer turns to you and you freeze up, hesitant in approaching the wagon. You know something is wrong when the farmer appears to regard you with disdain in his eyes.

He says, "We only got space for one."

A stunned expression appears on Leon's face whilst you blink blankly at the group, before you throw a downtrodden glance to the floor, biting down on your lip.

The farmer leans towards Leon and although he employs a hushed tone, you can hear what he says. " _This girl is trouble. She's bad luck round these parts_. _People say she's cursed_. _If you know what's good for ya, stay away from her_."

You heard everything loud and clear and you're quick to retreat, taking a few steps backwards, knowing all too well that you are not welcome onboard the Tauros wagon.

"It's okay, Leon. Go ahead. I can make it back on my own." You mumble. This farmer doesn't like you and you don't like him very much either.

"You heard the lady. Come on, Mr Champion."

Leon stares intently at you and his expression slowly becomes unreadable. However, he grabs his bag, hauling it out of the caravan. "No, I changed my mind. Thanks for your generous offer, but..." Leon promptly returns to your side with his bag, "We can manage on our own, thank you very much."

Following that is a rather strained silence as you and the farmer stare at Leon with widened eyes.

"Leon...?" you croak out. 

Leon turns and smiles warmly at you. "Let's go." 

The farmer snorts under his breath at the rejection. "Suit yerselves." With the reigns in his hands, he flicks them with a turn of his wrists and Tauros picks up speed again, galloping down the path and out of your view.

You cannot believe what had just happened and you gawk at the champion beside you. "Leon, why did you do that? You could've gotten a ride."

Leon smiles at you gently. "Well, I'd rather stay and walk with you."

And your heartbeat soars, your stomach doing backflips.

"Are you alright?" Leon asks, "your face is really red."

You snap out of your reverie. "O-oh! Yeah, I-I'm fine.." you stutter, trying to smile in response. "And he's wrong, I'm not bad luck!" you add, until something weighty smacks you in the back and you go stumbling forwards; although Leon grabs your hand, you still drop over the dirt, collapsing on your front.

Lifting your head up, you see a Hoothoot flying above you in a circle before it perches itself in the branch of a tree to your left, crowing with mirth. You wonder if it's the same Hoothoot from last night that had also harassed Leon when he was taking a bath.

"Arceus, you Hoothoot are the worst!!" you moan out before you can help it, cursing the Hoothoot.

Leon steps over you carefully to hoist you up though he ends up lifting your back off the ground and you remain sitting in the mud, feeling somewhat defeated. "You okay?"

You nod weakly.

Leon chuckles as he kneels beside you and helps dusts you down, wiping some flecks of dry mud from your shoulders and back whilst you shake your hair free of earth. "You have some dirt on your face."

"Where?"

"Right here." He says, but before you can move, Leon uses his sleeve to wipe at your cheek gently. His white sweater now has a mud patch but he grins to himself whilst your heart pounds furiously once more. Smiling at you, he says, "Let's go."

"...Okay."

You both continue making your way together through the forest until you reach the familiar landscape of the Dappled Grove. You have finally arrived. As though a stone has dropped in the pit of your gut, you throw your glance down sadly as you realise you will be parting ways with Leon for certain. 

"Well, this is it." you say morosely as you gesture to the Dappled Grove's wooden signpost. It contains a few arrows pointing to various locations, outlining the directions to Rolling Fields and West Lake Axwell. "Wherever you're headed to next, you can use this."

Leon joins your side to inspect the sign. "Great! Thanks for all your help."

"No problem."

"It was really nice meeting you," Leon adds, sticking his hand to you and your face falls.

Oh.

A handshake.

Your heart plummets when you realise you were the only one who had been blushing and feeling butterfrees in the stomach the entire duration you had been together and you can't help but feel silly...

Leon has treated you as he would treat anyone, any regular fan. He was just being himself...he is kind and friendly to everyone, fans, friends and foes alike. You're no different than the rest. 

It hurts in some sense upon realisation but nevertheless, you steel your nerves and slip your hand into his palm; his hand is so large, your little fingers are bundled up within his and his hand is also extremely warm despite the cold temperature. He proceeds to give you a firm shake and you force yourself to smile. Leon has some serious grip.

"Same. It was very nice to meet you," you reply, when you let go and your fingers are tingling from the contact.

"This is for you," Leon brings out his wallet and pulls out two ten thousand pokedollar bills, "For the coat."

"Ah, right...but um, my coat didn't cost twenty thousand. Let me give you some change for that..." As you fiddle around with your bag and pull out your purse, Leon chuckles.

"Please, I want you to keep it. I insist," he adds, before he reaches for your hand and presses the money into your palm, forcing your fingers to curl over the money.

You're reduced to a blushing mess again from the contact. "O-oh...well, thanks...I appreciate it."

"What's your blog called? May I have a look?"

"Sure..." you utter the name of your website and also spell it out to him which he saves onto his phone.

"Thanks! I'll be sure to check it out."

You nod, cheeks growing warm, “When's your next match by the way?"

"In a week."

"I'll cheer for you."

His face goes pink and he slides his gaze to the ground. "Thank you. Do you want a ticket? I'll get you one."

"No need, I'll just join the rest of the rabble and sign up, go through the League's official website and try my luck in getting one."

"Usually my matches are sold out in seconds and people resell the tickets at inflated prices..." 

"Well, you never know, I might get lucky."

Leon chuckles in response as you shrug, "I'll get a ticket for you," he reaffirms, and he sounds quite adamant in getting you one. "So...what are you planning to do now?"

"Hmm, I'm actually looking for a Grimmsnarl, Dusclops or Dusknoir. I heard there are some in the Stony Wilderness but I can never find one."

"I can help you with that. Let me know when you need assistance."

"Thanks, Leon. That sounds awesome. I'll give you a call, okay?"

He nods, his smile widening.

"Bye, Leon."

"Bye! Good luck with your research!"

"Thanks!"

It feels awkward as you wave at him and Leon and Charizard wave in response as you split up. 

You take a few steps before you decide to throw a glimpse over your shoulder and you notice that he has done the same and now he is looking at you; your heart leaps in your throat and you should really look away but Leon grins and waves again. You meekly wave back and you're first to turn away, your breath caught in your throat.

Instead of heading towards the Meetup Spot to get the train that will take you to Wedgehurst, you call for a Corviknight taxi. You wait at least fifteen minutes, sitting on a tree stump and searching online using your Rotom phone on 'signs that a guy likes you'.

You couldn't help yourself.

When the search results load, you click on the first available result that you see on Rotom's search engine, which is an online article detailing ten telltale signs when a guy like a girl.

Sign one: the guy will want to spend his time with the girl and make an effort to contact her. You ponder to yourself but you don't know Leon well enough to fully know if he wants to spend all his time with you so you ignore this one.

Sign two, body language. If a guy like a girl, he's either very nervous, intimidated or shy and he might even make an attempt to touch her. When you read this, you recall how Leon got all flustered and nervous around you on several occasions but you earnestly believed this was because Leon wasn't used to girls. He did seem to touch you a lot though. Unfortunately, you cannot really tell so you move onto the next sign.

Sign three, the guy will ask questions and remember little details. Having only met Leon for one night, it's natural if Leon asked you plenty of questions and it's too early for him to show that he has remembered your every little detail. You will only find out if you ever meet him again. Emphasis on _if_.

Before you can read the rest of the article, the Corviknight taxi arrives and you bookmark the page to be read later and put Rotom away.

The cabbie opens the carriage door for you and you climb in, poking your head out the window; you ask to be taken to Wyndon which would take twenty or so minutes. The cabbie climbs on the massive bird and you're off. The carriage is lifted high in the air and you buckle up for the bumpy ride. Once you're seated properly, you peer out the window where you see the huge stretch of greenery below you.

You are glad to have left the Wild Area.

It's not a kind place. Although you're prepared, you are thoroughly exhausted, drenched with sweat and caked in dirt. Travelling through the Wild Area really takes a toll on you and challenges one's mental and physical strength.

That being said, you worry about Leon and you wonder if you can see Leon and Charizard down below but ultimately, you can't.

You're too high up.

Sighing, you roll the window down and rest your elbows on the sill to stare at the sky where you see singing Gossifleur and Eldegoss floating in the air and you wave at them and they wave at you in response. Some bird pokemon fly past too and you wave to them. The ride back to civilisation is a soothing and calming one.

Eventually, the barren land of the Wild Area gradually disappears behind you and you see buildings ahead. Corviknight zooms past, heading towards the direction of a huge Ferris wheel that looms in the horizon and grows closer and closer into view, followed by towering skyscrapers. This is your prime indication that you have now arrived at Wyndon.

Corviknight drops you off in front of the fountain. You hop out, pay the cabbie and check Big Bill, the clock tower of Wyndon. It is now almost ten am and the city is very busy.

Your first task is to buy a new coat. The streets are bustling as you make your way to the boutique. You got your coat from here so you're going to buy yourself a new one. Leon's generosity won't be forgotten. You step inside the shop and head over to the outerwear section and you're hoping to get a coat that is identical to your current one but unfortunately the design is no longer for sale and so you settle for a basic but warm and waterproof, black parka that costs eighteen thousand.

You part with your muddy, burnt coat and emerge from the changing room in your new threads.

"Well, it was a good run," you murmur as you fold your ruined coat and slot it inside the clothing recycling bin.

Wyndon Stadium is your next destination so you make your way over, passing the river and the ferris wheel and once you arrive at the enormous, dome-shaped building, you head through the clear glass doors. Although Leon has informed you that he has no matches until a week later, you're stunned to see that it is full of tourists and locals.

Once you're inside, Rotom sounds off and you absent-mindedly check the screen. It's a message from an unknown person and it says:

 **Unknown:** Hi, this is Leon. Did you make it out of the Wild Area ok?

You reread the message a second time and your heart starts pounding viciously. You cannot believe your eyes. The Champion of Galar has messaged you! You are so stunned, you completely stop in your tracks. You are about to type a reply though you pause briefly, wondering if you are replying to his message way too quickly. You don't want to come across as an Eager McBeaver nor do you want to look like a sad sport who does nothing but look at their phone every single minute of their day.

Nevertheless, you decide it's best to send a reply since you don't want to leave it too late to reply that it becomes awkward....therefore you quickly type a quick message and hit send.

 **You:** Yep! I made it out alive :')

With the reply sent, you excitedly add Leon to your contacts, thus increasing the number of contacts in your phonebook to a total of five which is a vast improvement compared to two or three years ago and then you put Rotom away, slightly worried about what the Champion's reply would be and how long he might take to reply.

The text from Leon has elevated your mood to an unimaginable extent. Glancing around the stadium lobby, there are plenty of people ogling the glass cabinet displays that contains the many trophies and awards won by past Champions of Galar. Leon's trophies take up two entire rows and there are also tonnes of posters with his face on them decorating the walls of Wyndon Stadium.

He's everywhere you look.

It's inescapable, and a merchandise kiosk that has just opened up grabs your attention and you head over immediately. You're first in line and the clerk is stacking up some stock on the shelves until she spots you, pausing in her activities to head over to the counter.

"Good morning, how may I help you?" she asks with an absurdly cheerful smile on her face. 

You look at the random items she was placing on the shelves. As expected, it's all got Leon's face printed on it. There is a Leon mug, a Leon tumbler, a Leon flask, a Leon scarf...even a Leon mousemat too.

There's Leon _everything_.

"Wow, this must be Leon heaven." you say, incredibly overwhelmed.

"It is! This is the Leon-exclusive merchandise stall."

"Oh really?" you suddenly have the urge to buy something with his face on it so you say, "I'd like to buy a poster of Leon, please."

"Of course! Which one do you want? Leon on his own? Leon with Chairman Rose? Leon holding a beer? Leon with an ultra ball? Leon with Charizard?"

"Just Leon on his own will be fine."

"With or without an ultra ball?"

"Leon with no ultra ball, thanks."

"Got it!" the clerk cheerfully ducks underneath the counter for a split second and quickly stands back up with a rolled canvas under her arm. "This one?"

And she proceeds to unravel it, revealing Leon striking his famous Champion pose; the canvas is also at least one metre long.

"Wow. It's perfect. How much?" you ask, digging a hand into your bag to fetch your purse.

"Five thousand."

You hesitate but this is official merchandise so you suppose it is value for the money so you count your bills and hand over the cash; you want to show that you support Leon in the best way possible and what is the best possible way to do so other than buy overpriced merchandise? The clerk happily hands you the poster which is too big for a bag so you hold the rolled up print under your armpit.

"We also have a Leon action figure for sale! This is the new and improved version of Leon with his signature snapback and fully rotating arms for impressive ball-throwing action!" the clerk grabs the Leon figurine she was describing off a random shelf and holds it up to you, "Charizard and accessories sold separately."

"That's a bit of a ripoff." you utter, rubbing your chin as you take the figurine off her to inspect it further.

The figurine comes with an exact replica of his Champion attire, his snapback (which appears to be inseparable from his head and hair) and he also comes with a red cape lined with fur. You look at his little white Champion booties and laugh.

"But this one is limited edition and it's also the last one in stock!"

"Last one in stock?"

"Correct."

"Limited edition?"

"Indeed."

"Hm. Alright. How much?"

"Usually it's twelve thousand nine hundred but today, I'll give it to you for _ten thousand_."

"Alright fine, I'll take the action figure too."

"Thank you, young lady, you won't regret it!"

"I just spent fifteen thousand quid on Leon merchandise," you mutter to yourself as you rummage through your bag for your wallet once again, "I have no regrets."

"Spoken like a true Leon fan!"

You're pretty sure the clerk's claims of the Leon figurine being the 'last one in stock' were falsified so you would experience increased pressure to buy it but you vehemently don't care; the Leon figurine looks sturdy, well-made and the resemblance to him is uncanny. The clerk puts the figurine away into the box and carefully eases it into a large bag with the Macro Cosmos logo on it.

"Perhaps you'd be interested in a huggable Leon body pillow too?" she asks, brows wiggling suggestively.

"Uh...I think I'll pass."

"Mm-hmm, suit yourself.....but how about this pair of Leon night slippers?"

"Slippers? Can I have a look?"

Behind you, you suddenly hear a loud groan of frustration.

"Are you finished yet, lady? You're holding up the goddamn queue!" a voice screams behind you and you turn round to see that there is a small line of teenage girls standing behind you.

"Okay, okay, I'm done, geez..."

You leave the kiosk with poster and bag in hand and return to the lobby, glancing at a bunch of kids running up to Ball Guy who stands near the sofas, waving his arms around happily in the air, a perpetual grin on the round mascot mask.

"Hey, hey, hey kids! I'm your friendly neighbourhood Ball Guyl!" he greets them joyfully as they circle him, his voice muffled behind the mask.

"I don't give a Raticate's ass! Give me my free ball, loser!" one of the kids scream.

"Hurry! Make him faint and take his experience points!" another kid yells before he kicks him in the shin.

Ball Guy reels from the impact and emits a pained grunt before he falls to the ground, clutching his knee to his chest. Once he's down, the children scream and yell as they surround and clamber over him; their little hands ransacking his pockets before they run off with a bunch of capsules.

You glance around, wondering if anyone else had witnessed this but it appears no-one had bothered to pay Ball Guy any attention. You walk up to him as he continues rolling around on the floor in agony.

"Yep…children are the future…" you hear him groan weakly.

"Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking..." Ball guy mutters, and you give him your hand. He looks up and then gasps. "Huh? Oh hey, chuck, you're back!"

You grin as he takes your hand, jumps back onto his feet and grabs the rim of the mask, tearing it off with a loud pop to reveal a young man with a mop of messy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He shakes his hair in the same manner that reminds you of a shampoo commerical before he gives you an affable, friendly smile.

A few customers are shocked to see the true face of Ball Guy whilst some of the younger children with their parents start screaming about Ball Guy's head being ripped off. However, he is oblivious to them and you exchange a brief hug.

"How was it? Did you find the house? Did you perform any exorcisms?" he asks enthusiastically. 

"I'm not an exorcist, Jace," you mutter, "But yes, I found the house and I sealed away an evil spirit too."

"And you say you're not an exorcist? Hello?! You sealed an _evil spirit._ "

"Well, yeah, but it was nothing."

Jace pointedly rolls his eyes in response to your laidback reply and crosses his arms. "Pfft. It was 'nothing'. What's that you got there anyway?"

"Oh, these?" you lift up the poster and the Macro Cosmos bag with the Leon figurine, "Just some stuff. Here, hold this for a moment." You give him the poster to clutch so you can put the figurine on the floor and grab the broken radio from your bag. "Unfortunately this happened too."

Swapping your poster for the radio, Jace holds the device limply in his hands, turns it round and raises a brow. "What happened?"

"Gengar threw me into a wall and it broke," you reply nonchalantly with a shrug whilst Jace blinks numbly at you, "Oh yeah. I almost forgot. Hey Gengar, I want you to meet Jace."

Following that, Jace looks up and around until Gengar appears from your shadow on the ground and rises into the air, emitting an evil cackle as he floats high above you and Jace's complexion goes a tad paler than usual as he makes eye contact with the pokemon.

"Oh..." he gulps, knees going weak as Gengar proceeds to circle him, "A ghost pokemon?"

"Yep, and he's decided to stay with me," you say happily, when Gengar stops and returns to float by your side. You and Gengar grin at each other before he decides to jump into someone else's shadow, his red eyes gleaming from within.

"I think he'll be a wonderful pokemon partner. Suits you, too."

"Thanks. We haven't really had the chance to get to know each better yet but that's okay, we can chat later. So... uh, the radio. Can it be fixed?"

"Of course! Give me a few days though."

"Sure. Thanks in advance. Oh, I also met the Champion last night too."

Jace's jaw drops at you revelation. "What? You met the Leon!!! Really? What's he-"

"BALL GUY!"

You and Jace wince under the loud voice and throw your glances to the far end of the lobby to see a red-faced and bloated-looking, blob of a man in a suit that looks like it's far too tight for him, standing at the closed doors that would lead to the pitch. It's the manager of Wyndon stadium. He watches the two of you with his arms crossed over his chest, tapping one foot impatiently over the ground.

"Ball Guy, get over here now! And put the damn mask back on!"

Jace acknowledges his boss with an apologetic nod and fixes the mask back over his head. "Sorry," his voice has gone back to being muffled, "I need to go back to work now but I'll take care of your radio. I'll call you when it's fixed."

"Thanks Jace."

"No problem. See you."

"Bye-bye, have fun at work! Remember, if you hear any voices from the radio, don't respond."

"Yep, I hear ya. Hey duckie, take this before you go," Jace scoops a Dusk Ball from his pocket and plops it into your hand, then gives you a thumb up.

"Thanks!" 

Jace returns to his Ball Guy persona, wiggling his arms in the air and entertaining the customers whilst you leave Wyndon Stadium to head home. On the way to the train station, you pass Wyndon Police station, one of the biggest branches of Galar Police.

It's a large building opposite the river with many floor-to-ceiling windows, the walls painted in blue and red to fit in with the majority of Wyndon's more contemporary architecture and design.

Once you near, you spot a small group of women outside the gates, yelling over each other and waving flyers and League cards in their fists. A few policemen with a Herdier and Grapploct in uniform, badge and hat are keeping the noisy crowd at bay.

"Calm down, you lot!" they're doing their best but the women are hysterical, screaming about their missing sons. "They're gym challengers, madam, that's normal-"

The women are unappeased, condemning the officers for their lack of empathy and compassion and that on this occasion, it is abnormal for gym challengers with fully functioning Rotom phones to go missing or unreachable for such a long time.

The policemen sigh heavily. "We've already taken your testimony, and we 'ave officers on the case and patrollin' as we speak. You're all best to go back to yer homes and wait for us to contact you, you hear me?"

As you pass them, an iron grip seizes your arm and you are promptly halted in your path. A crumpled flyer is shoved in your face with the words 'HAVE YOU SEEN THIS YOUNG MAN?' stamped on the front and you blink at the photograph of a random boy. It is slowly lowered, revealing a woman with a peaky face and mousy eyes.

"Have you seen my son?" 

"No, ma'am, I haven't," you murmur, though you take the flyer off her to study the face of the missing boy; it's the photo from his league card, a smiling, young face full of freshness and simplicity. He appears to be sixteen years old at least. "...Hmm, where was the last place he was seen? The Giant's Seat, perhaps?"

She looks at you in bewilderment though you had casually uttered those words under your breath. "How did...how did you know???"

"Lots of people have gone missing there," you add, "It's a case I'm working on right now."

Immediately, the group of shrieking women go silent and all heads turn to you. Everyone's staring keenly at your direction all of a sudden, even the policemen and the pokemon. It only takes a matter of seconds for you to become swamped by the women who are now shoving their flyers or League cards of their missing sons in front of your face, demanding if you know anything about their missing whereabouts and if you could help them with this seemingly hopeless situation.

The policemen chat to themselves briefly until you see the group heading towards your direction and this doesn't look very good; you believe they might apprehend you and you might be questioned but you are saved in time when a gentleman in a suit with an Arcanine and Manectric plodding beside him appears at the gates and stops the officers before they can even take one step forwards.

They immediately salute him upon his arrival. "Chief!"

"It's alright, let her go," he drawls, "She knows what's she doing and she's done work for us before."

The policemen have no choice but to oblige and let you off. Chief successfully ushers the officers away and when he turns to you, he gives you a wink. You mouth a 'thank you' and leave the station vicinity with the group of women who have decided to follow you, hoping that you may be able to help them figure out what happened to their children.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. "Leon's sweater is wrapped tightly around you and he is left in this tight, long-sleeved black shirt but the cold doesn't seem to affect him"
> 
> Leon: the cold never bothered me anyway!!!!
> 
> Sorry. Ahem.
> 
> 2\. Yay we have a new character - Jace, who is a part-time Ball Guy and Reader's friend. He helps fix the radio :) he also has an array of nicknames for Reader, from chuck, duck, duckie lol, which is similar to the usage of 'mate' - but I'm actually not too sure about duck though. 
> 
> 3\. Big Bill - parody of Big Ben, the nickname for the clock tower in London.


	5. Life as a Researcher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You work on the missing persons case and come to a deduction about the identity of the culprit. Meanwhile, the culprit claims another victim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 25.08.2020

**Life as a Researcher**

...

...

[The coldest recorded body temperature a person has ever survived is 56.7 degrees F (13.2 degrees C)]

...

...

You're on your way to Wedgehurst with a small group of five middle-aged ladies who have followed you to the train station and into the carriage. Gengar doesn't appear to particularly enjoy coming out during day nor does he like to be around crowds so he decides to stay hidden in your shadow.

You've become a Pied Piper of Hamelin of some sort as the women trail after you eagerly and you take up one entire row. You sit in the middle, flanked by two housewives and three standing in front of you. They are friendly enough but they fire questions about you, your profession and how you can help them.

You answer them to your best ability and the most they get out of you is that you're a qualified Researcher. You're not officially aligned with the police but you know the Chief Inspector, Chris Graves.

They ask you how you know him and you're reluctant to tell them everything so all you say is that you have crossed paths with Graves when you were back in Kalos and now he has transferred to Galar for his work and _voila_ , you have a contact in the force who can help you should you ever get wrapped up in cases such as these.

Usually it's the other way round, though.

You have worked with the police before and although they're under the impression that you're kooky and your methods are unorthodox, Graves doesn't mind if you step in at any point though he occasionally warns you that there are fine lines not to be crossed.

You tell the women that three people have also disappeared near the Giant's Seat.

You didn't realise there were more until today.

If you didn't pass Wyndon police station, you wouldn't have known.

The total of missing people is now eight. The first missing person is a gym challenger called Maisy who has been missing for three months. The second is a gym challenger called James, missing for one month and the third is another male gym challenger. No bodies have been found. 

When the train slowly chugs into Wedgehurst, you leave the station and plough down the path with the ladies following you, avoiding the Wooloos that litter the streets. The townsfolk, intimidated by your large group, automatically make way for you. You meander towards your house and once you're at the door, it's unlocked and you enter to see Sonia and Magnolia seated down in the kitchen, fixing breakfast for themselves.

Upon your return, Sonia and Magnolia rise from their chairs and Cutiefly and Polteageist are ecstatic to see you, zooming towards your direction. Cutiefly burrows itself into your hair and Polteageist hugs your head whilst Sonia envelopes you in a warm and tight embrace, followed by Magnolia. Every morning, they do this whenever you return home. You believe they are deathly afraid that one day, you will not return.

However, once they spot the crowd outside waiting to enter the establishment, the sight forces their jaws to drop.

Magnolia and Sonia are stunned to see their home suddenly filled with so many people so you quickly explain that they are your new clients and you ask Magnolia for permission, hoping she doesn't mind that you have brought so many random people to her home. She informs you she is fine with this as long as you keep the noise to a minimum and avoid using the fine china.

You promise and remove your coat, kick your boots off and carefully drop your bags and Leon poster on the ground.

And you are so tired that you could fall asleep right here and now because you've pulled an all-nighter but you need to hear the ladies out.

Magnolia leaves you to it and departs for the research lab so you are on your own. You guide the group to the conservatory where you hold most client meetings and let the ladies sit whilst you stand to write notes. You ask if anyone wants some tea and everyone lift their hands up. Polteageist turns away with his arms crossed, refusing to make tea for them. He doesn't like serving tea to strangers anyway.

Luckily for you, Sonia steps in to assist and comes waltzing in with a tray of cookies and hot beverages after a few minutes, with little Yamper balancing a small tray of his own over his head. The ladies coo and fawn over the puppy pokemon.

You're exhausted, eyelids drooping, but you fight hard to stay awake and listen to everyone's testimony, one by one. Normally you would've preferred a one to one session but group sessions work too.

You flip open your journal to take down notes, asking for the date of the disappearance, time, location and any other crucial information and detail no matter how small. You also ask them if the missing sons have been acting strange prior their disappearance but all the answers are no. They also tell you the missing Rotom phones have also mysteriously disappeared and the GPS doesn't show where they are.

Occasionally, the women lose track to discuss amongst themselves and so you have to snap them out of it and focus on providing accurate testimony.

Eventually, you finish after three or four hours and you're really struggling to stay awake.

 _Please bring my son back alive_ , that's what they say before they leave and you promise that you would find them alive.

Sonia escorts the women out and returns to the conservatory only to see that you have fallen asleep, sprawled over the sofa with your journal lying open on your lap. She smiles and grabs a blanket from the cupboard which she uses for occasions like these and drapes it over you. Yamper barks but she puts a finger to her lips and they quietly leave the conservatory.

Hours later, you wake up with a start only to discover that it is now nine o'clock.

Rubbing your eyes, you look around; the curtains of the conservatory are drawn and it's eerily silent. You sit up and the journal threatens to fall off your lap but you quickly grab it before it drops to the floor. Stretching, you peel the blanket off you, glance around the empty conservatory before you emit an impossibly loud groan. Cutiefly and Polteageist are in the room and when you get up, they head over to your side.

"Hey guys," you mutter groggily, as they look up at you before quickly nuzzling your cheeks affectionately. "Arceus, I'm so tired...I'm gonna take a shower..."

Suddenly, Gengar appears from your shadow and Cutie and Poltea both look alarmed at your new companion.

You quickly introduce your pokemon to Gengar and your pokemon curiously float over to inspect the shadow pokemon. Cutiefly leaves the sanctity of your hair after a few minutes of reassurance and circles Gengar for a while before returning to sit on your shoulder. Poltea inches closer to Gengar and it appears they are communicating. You watch as the two ghosts make brief exchange before Gengar looks at you with a sad expression.

You ask Polteageist if he has just told Gengar about Rosie and he nods and returns to your side, choosing to hug your head whilst Gengar looks at you sympathetically.

You tell Gengar that if he can help in any way, it would be greatly appreciated and that you would love to study him but you have a new case to work on so maybe another time.

Yawning, you slide off the couch, head for the stairs whilst the Pokemon stay downstairs and you enter the bathroom to shower, peeling off your clothes and dropping them into the laundry basket to be washed later. As you shower and wash your hair, you briefly think about Leon, thinking about his soulful eyes and long eyelashes, and you wonder what he may be doing right now. He must be training in the Wild Area somewhere. You didn't even check if you had received any messages from him.

When you're squeaky clean, you return to your room to get dressed and you see that Sonia has put your bag and all your Leon merchandise next to your bed; you pick the poster up and unfurl it.

Leon's grinning face appears and you let your eyes wander over his form with a smile and Gengar manifests from your shadow on the wall; he floats in the air and circles Leon's poster then points to him.

"Yeah, that's the guy who was with us back in your house. He's the Champion of Galar."

Gengar grins and points to you then at Leon once more, puts his hands where his hips should be and wiggles his hips back and forth, smacks his mouth, imitating and making kissing noises in the air.

"Oh, shush," you say with a smile, "It'll never happen. He's got plenty of girls pining after him anyway."

As you roll the poster properly and let it stand beside your desk, the sound of the bedroom door opening captures your attention and you throw a glance over your shoulder to see Sonia hopping into the room. "Hey, you're - Ah! What's a Gengar doing here?"

"Hey Sonnie," you say, "He's my new partner pokemon. He's from the haunted mansion and he wants to help me."

"Oh, that's lovely," Sonia replies with a smile, and you watch as they both greet each other briefly before Gengar drifts out of your window and towards the roof. Sonia moves to sit on the edge of her bed leisurely, crossing one leg over the other and casually gestures to your bag with the boxed Leon action figurine. "By the way, why did you buy so much Leon merchandise all of a sudden?"

"I met him last night, Sonnie."

Shocked, she sits up properly, leaning forwards in her seat, "You did? That's amazing! He was really keen to meet you but you were always asleep during the day. I'm so glad that you've finally met!"

You nod, mentally berating yourself that all this time, Leon was wanting to meet you but never got the chance. 

"What do you think of him?"

You are too shy to tell her any further details such as Leon holding you and whatnot so your response is a mere half-hearted shrug, "He's really nice."

Sonia cheerfully twirls a strand of curly hair between her fingers, "We don't talk much since he became Champion and he's really busy nowadays, but before all that, he used to always come over to the house."

"Oh."

"Your haunted house client called earlier too. He said he'll pop by tomorrow at eight pm if that's okay."

"Yes, that's brilliant. Thanks, Sonnie."

"No problem! How did it go anyway?"

"It was fine," you reply, before you proceed to explain, bringing her up to speed about the events of the haunted house and the conclusion though you omit the details revolving you and Leon; you do not tell her that you stayed with Leon for the rest of the night and the majority of the morning.

You ask her how her day was but she says she helped Magnolia in the lab for the entire day. With a sigh, she wonders when her big break will be.

"And what's this new case you're working on?" she asks next. She's moved to sprawl over her bed on her stomach, looking at her phone.

"Missing people."

There is a brief silence and Sonia slowly puts down her phone, turning to you with an expression of worry. "Ah...I understand, are you sure about this one?"

"Yeah, I am. And I better get a move on. So little time, so much to do."

"Why don't you take a break for the time being?"

"Can't. I need to do this. The police are working on it but it wouldn't hurt if I try to help too."

She lets out a heavy sigh, shaking her head helplessly whilst you muster a weak smile at her and leave the bedroom. She tells you there is dinner left for you in the fridge.

Magnolia appears to be asleep as you tiptoe past her room. You haven't spent enough time talking to Magnolia because your schedules don't match. You're asleep during the day and she goes to sleep at nine, or on some random occasions, seven or eight if she's extremely tired. You both conveniently miss each other a lot.

You spot Yamper chewing on a poketoy near the stairs and as you pass him, you stroke his head and ears and he emits a cheerful bark.

Driven by hunger, you head into the kitchen, grab the leftovers from the fridge and heat them up in the microwave. It's leftover pie, veggies and mash and whilst it's cooking, you brew yourself a cup of Komala coffee for that extra oomph because you believe it'll be another long night. Once the food is ready, you sink into the sofa in the lounge with your late dinner and journal.

The food is piping hot so you balance the plate over the empty seat beside you and check your phone absent-mindedly, checking for any updates. Your blog's latest entry has been quite popular and you're relieved to see that positive comments has overtaken the troll comment left behind by the anonymous user.

However, you haven't received any texts from Leon since you replied to his message this morning.

Your face falls.

You were hoping you would've received at least one reply. Maybe a short message asking to see what else you were up to or maybe something as simple as a ' _okay_ ' would've sufficed. To make matters worse, your reply is marked as 'read'.

You try not to think too much about it. Instead, you think about your next plan of action.

Wracked with physical exhaustion, you've not had enough sleep nor have you had sufficient time to think or work out your next plan of action but you can't afford to sit around and do nothing. Peeling yourself off the sofa, you lay out your notes over the couch, picking up your plate of food and munching on some pie before you take a sip of your coffee.

Your Pokemon arrive to see what you're up to and everyone looks at your notes. Your messy handwriting, random arrows, prompt and other small blurbs circled in pen dominate the papers. 

The coffee is working its magic in your system and you discover that the lounge isn't a suitable place to gather your thoughts and conduct research, so you quickly finish your meal and collect your notes together once more. You hastily rush to the door to put on your new coat and sink your feet into your worn boots.

Leaving the house with your pokemon, you balance your notes in your arms and you're still holding your mug of coffee for some reason which you didn't realise but no matter, you make your way to the Pokemon Research Lab as quickly as possible.

You fumble with your set of keys once you arrive and when you have unlocked it, you push it open with your back since your arms are full and head inside, pressing on the light-switch using your elbow.

The lights slowly flicker on one at a time, with one light in particular fluttering limply in the corner. The lab is closed at night but Magnolia has granted you permission to peruse it despite being after hours.

Outside, the sounds of raindrops battering the side of the building makes its presence known and you breathe a sigh of relief, knowing if you had left it a second later, you would've been caught in the rain.

You breeze past the seating area and the bookshelves whilst your pokemon linger near Magnolia's work desk which is chock full of documents and pokemon books. A small desk in the corner near the stairs is your destination and you put your coffee and notes down on the surface before you rearrange them in chronological order.

This is your workspace.

Although it's small, it serves it's purpose well and it's currently and unfortunately covered in a thin layer of dust since you hardly had time to carry out desk-based work most of the time.

Your whiteboard stands next to a large potted plant and you grab the handle, slowly easing it out. It is covered with plenty of sticky notes and random photos of ghost Pokemon and symbols. Gengar watches as you flip it to the other side to reveal a detailed map of the Wild Area stuck down with magnets.

It is accompanied with three photos, one of a young girl and two young boys underlined with 'Missing Person #1: Maisy', 'Missing Person #2: James' and 'Missing Person #3 Ed' and a brief outline of the circumstances of their disappearance in short bullet points.

Gengar, Cutiefly and Polteageist watch as you stand in front of the board and grab a black washable marker from the stationary tub, pulling off the lid.

It's time to start and the coffee is kicking in.

"Let's update our board," you say aloud, and you're awfully jittery so you grab your wooden paddleball from your cupboard that comes with a red ball on a string and begin whacking the ball repeatedly over the wood at the same time, "There are now a total of eight missing individuals. Let's start with the new missing folk."

You take the league card of a boy called 'Scottie' from your pile of notes and stick it on the space beside 'Ed', using a magnet to keep it pinned on the board.

"...Missing person four, Scottie: sixteen years old. Gym challenger. Last seen by a Watt Trader at night near the Giant's Seat...Watt Trader said the boy appeared to be running away from something. Mr Watt Trader assumed it was a wild pokemon and didn't come forward immediately. Missing for eight days."

You hastily scribble bullet points on the whiteboard.

"Missing person number five, Frank. Gym challenger, twenty one years old. Last seen wandering the Giant's Seat at night by a group of female travellers, asking to accompany them because he said he was being followed for the past few days. He didn't tell them who or what it was. Appeared to have seen something or someone behind the group and proceeded to run off. Has not been seen since and has been missing for five days."

You stick Frank's league card beside Scottie's.

"Missing person number six, Simon. Gym challenger, twenty years old. No witnesses, but a pokemon breeder found his intact backpack and the rest of his belongings at an empty campsite near the Giant's Seat."

Gengar, Cutie and Poltea watch as you stick Simon's card on the board next.

"Missing person number seven, Ben. Gym challenger, eighteen years old. Last seen camping on the outskirts of the Giant's Seat with his girlfriend. They fell asleep together in the tent. When his girlfriend woke up the next day, the tent was open and he was missing and he hasn't been seen since. His belongings were left intact. Missing for four days."

You're onto the recent victim now.

"Missing person eight. Owen. Gym challenger, twenty. An eyewitness saw him talking to a girl with blue hair in a white dress, possibly a friend or girlfriend. Missing for two days."

You finish sticking up the league cards and photos of the missing individuals. Using the notes provided, you also use red pins to stick on the map. You realise all the pins are scattered randomly around the Giant's Seat area. Once you are finished, you take a step backwards to inspect the whiteboard.

The whiteboard is running out of space.

"What's the connection?" you mutter as you begin pacing up and down with your paddleball. The pokemon watch you keenly as you grab your coffee, taking numerous sips, "Let's summarise briefly."

You turn to Cutiefly, Polteageist and Gengar and they stare at you expectantly.

"All victims are male except one. They're all gym challengers. They're between the ages sixteen to twenty one. Some of them appeared frightened. Some of them even left behind all their possessions. Their Rotom phones have not been found and their GPS location disappeared. They also disappeared at night."

You eventually decide that the way several victims disappeared sounds fishy.

"A guy goes missing from his campsite, leaving his belongings behind. A guy with his girlfriend goes missing from their camp during the night but leaves his stuff behind. And another victim was seen talking to a girl with blue hair in a white dress."

You tilt your head to the side and rub your temples again.

"What pokemon are known to reside in the Giant's Seat? Stufful, Bronzor, Lombre, Machoke, Machop, Nuzleaf...Wooper, Palpitoad, Snover, Snorunt, Munna, Duskull, Electrike, Ghastly, Natu, Mudbray, Growlithe, Vulpix. None of these pokemon should be capable of kidnapping humans or attacking humans, nor do they have any reason to."

You frown and grunt under your breath.

"I need to make a phonecall," you mutter, before you move to your desk, pull your seat out and plop yourself down.

You call Wyndon Police Department, asking for Chief Inspector Chris Graves. You get through after clearing some security measures and stating your identity and occupation. Luckily, Graves is still in the office. Though he's reluctant to give you too much information, you ask him about the testimony and everything checks out: the witnesses, the travellers, the girlfriend, the Watt Trader, the Pokemon breeder.

The only individual the police can't locate or identify is the girl in the white dress with blue hair. No-one has come forth with any information on this.

You also ask about the weather when the people went missing. So far, it's random...ranging from clear skies, rain, thunder and lightning. Then you ask about Maisy, the first missing victim, and what the weather was like when she went missing. It was a snowstorm, apparently.

You thank the Chief and hang up.

This new piece of information seems to have narrowed some things down.

Maisy went missing during a snowstorm and the rest of the victims since her disappearance have been _male_.

"Could it be...?" you murmur, shooting up in your seat and making a beeline for the board. The unknown girl is actually a big clue. You grab a red marker and circle 'Girl with Blue Hair and White Dress' before you yell, "Rotom!"

Summoned, your phone flies off the desk and into the air, grinning. "Yezzz?"

"Can you get Jace on the line?"

"Zzzure," Rotom replies, before he quickly changes to phone mode and you see he is dialling your friend for you until it gets picked up and the little screen of your phone shows Jace, presumably in his room and working at his desk, tampering on your radio with his Joltik helping him whilst an Eelektross and Heliolisk jump on his bed in the background.

He's wearing a pair of goggles with enlarged lens, blinking at you with magnified eyes, "Hi duckie, what's up?"

"Jace, can you pop over to the lab right now? Bring some of your thermals if you can."

He lifts his goggles up, letting them rest atop his messy hair, "Uh...why? What's going on?"

"It's for an investigation."

"...Oh, uh. Alright, sure, give me thirty minutes to get everything."

You're grateful Jace doesn't ask you too many questions and that he doesn't mind heading over to Wedgehurst at night but then again, he's used to your awkward requests and he's used to being called at random times during the night too.

"Thanks!" you reply, and Jace hangs up.

He arrives in twenty minutes; you wait for him on the plush sofa with your wooden paddleball, repeatedly whacking the ball against the wood until the door to the lab creaks open and you sit up in your seat.

"Geez...The weather is like a Thundurus..." mutters a disgruntled male’s voice.

You look up. "Jace?"

"Hi, chuck," he replies, grinning widely at you as you leap off the sofa to stand. Despite the umbrella, he's partially drenched, his damp blonde hair framing the sides of his face. His Joltik sits on his left shoulder, holding a large leaf over itself.

"Thanks for coming over," you say as he dumps the brolly into the bucket by the door and Joltik discards the leaf it was using as an umbrella.

He greets Poltea and Cutie as they hover over to greet him, giving them affectionate pats on the head whilst you greet Joltik. "No problem. And I got the clothes you wanted. What're you working on?" he asks, handing you a plastic bag which should contain the various thermals you had requested.

"I'm working on the missing person case."

"Can I have a look?"

"Sure." you say, and you both head to the whiteboard and stand side by side.

Jace scrutinises the board whilst you pull out a male's hooded sweater, a heavily insulated technical jacket, a pair of thermal socks and gloves. "So all these young lads are missing. They disappear at night, they're all gym challengers and no bodies have been found?"

"Yep."

"Well, whoever it is that is nabbing them, they like boys."

"That sounded extremely creepy but you're right, and I have a hunch."

"Let's hear it then."

"It's a Froslass."

"A Froslass?"

"Yeah. She's known to kidnap young men and use them as decorations."

"Fuckin' hell!" Jace cries out, "But she lives in snowy mountains, don't she? And she's not native to Galar."

"Yeah, but there's the occasional freak snowstorm in the Wild Area and check this out, the first known person who disappeared in the Giant's Seat is a female and she went missing during a _snowstorm_. Isn't it weird that no bodies have been found, even though it's been days... a month even? It's because she's kept them frozen in her lair somewhere in the Giant's Seat. It wasn't obvious until I found out there were new victims today and they're all male."

Jace shivers. "...Or maybe it's a serial killer or a crazy cannibalistic family who's kidnapping young men?"

" _Or_ it could be a Froslass."

"Or it could be Macro Cosmos. Someone could be trying to sabotage the gym challenge," Jace says, "They're a powerful company but they can also be awfully dodgy, if you know what I mean. I heard matches are sometimes rigged so they can rake in more cash from the bookies."

"That's a good point but that's awfully risky and why would they want to do that anyway?"

Jace shrugs. "I dunno. You really think it's a Froslass?"

"Yeah."

"If it's a Froslass, why hasn't anyone seen or found one yet? I'm pretty sure someone would've seen one wandering around the Wild Area by now."

You gesture to the words 'Girl with Blue Hair and White Dress'. "Because she can appear under the guise of a young woman. A lost or hurt young woman, maybe. That's how she's been nabbing folk at night."

"What about their Pokemon?"

"She probably froze them too."

Jace makes a weak noise from the back of his throat before he glances at all the photos of the missing people. "Do you think they're dead?"

"...Froslass likes to freeze people and take them to her lair, so...if that didn't kill them on the spot, then Hypothermia will."

"Do you really have to work on this case?" he grimaces loudly and you nod, "I-I don't have a good feeling about this..." 

"Even if it isn't Froslass, it doesn't make a difference to my plan."

"Which is what?"

"I'm going to the Giant's Seat. I'm going to pretend to be a boy and I'm going to be bait."

"That is a terrible plan." 

"I didn't say it was going to be a good plan."

"Then I'll do it. I'll be the bait."

"There is no way in hell I'm gonna endanger you, Jace."

"I have Joltik to protect me. Isn't that right, little buddy?"

Joltik nods and trills loudly but you shake your head, "Jace, you're mad. What about your job?"

"I'm a Ball Guy for Pete's sake. Not much of a career nor is there much going on there anyway, and it's fine, as long as we finish by the end of the night and we come home before dawn, I'm good."

"Are you...are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"Jace, you are MENTAL!"

He chuckles weakly.

Remembering how Leon should be still in the Wild Area somewhere, you can't help but worry. "I told Leon to stay away from the Giant's Seat, but I'm really worried about him now."

Jace grins and pinches at your cheek. "Oh, does little duckie have a crush on Galar's unbeatable Champion?" he coos with a wide smile.

You swat his hand away. "N-no, I'm just really worried about him, that's all," you check your watch as Jace's grin merely widens. It's almost eleven. "Wherever he is, I hope he's safe and staying away from the Giant's Seat."

...

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Wild Area, Leon sneezes.

Someone must be talking about him, or thinking about him.

That's what his mum told him anyway. She is superstitious and traditional like the majority of people in Galar, and she worries about a lot of things. She's worried that Rose is working him to the bone, she's worried that he isn't eating enough or staying hydrated enough and she's always wanted him to come home more often than he does.

Leon has never had a girlfriend although the attention he receives from girls is simply astronomical and so are the amount of love letters that gets sent to their home on a daily basis. His mum hopes that he will meet a nice girl who he can bring home one day. She does not want her son to end up hurt and taken advantage of.

Leon chuckles, wondering how his mum will react if she finds out that he had in fact camped with a girl all night. No doubt, his mum would be dying to know who this girl is and who her parents are.

He doesn't disclose to his parents that he's already devised a sort of test to determine if a girl is 'the one' or not and it's to do with Charizard. Call him old-fashioned, but the girl must get along with his pokemon and Charizard doesn't let anyone except Leon and Hop ride his back.

Therefore, if Charizard lets a girl ride on his back, he will know she's a special one.

He recalls how you got on quite well with his pokemon and ponders to himself. You're the first girl he's come across in the Wild Area and to be frank, he can't quite get you out of his head.

You've intrigued him.

Earlier on in the day and he received your message and tried to respond but unfortunately he hasn't had any luck getting any reception in the new area he's moved to.

Instead, he focuses in skimming through your blog.

The main page shows a photo of yourself with Gengar and the brief outline you had written of the haunted mansion. It occurs to Leon that he didn't take a photo with you. Maybe next time, he thinks. Leon scrolls through and reads some of your other articles before he comes across the page with your testimonials.

One of the testimonials is from a young man called 'Jace', who wrote that you had helped him when he saw his poor Joltik levitating off the floor and being flung against the wall by an unseen force for three nights in a row. He didn't know who to go to so called the police but they treated him with skepticism and believed it was simply a trick of the eye which prompted Jace to seek further help.

" _She was the only one who believed me_ ," Jace wrote, " _And yes, it was a ghost. My grandma's ghost who, bless her dearly departed soul, despised my bug pokemon before her untimely passing_."

He also states that you are a great listener and demonstrated strong compassion.

Leon reads the other testimonials and finds himself smiling when he sees the positive feedback you have received from random people who have all said the same thing: you are a great listener, empathetic and most importantly, you believed them when no-one else would. 

Another person has written: " _She knows her shit, don't question her_."

Moving on, Leon reads your 'About Me' page.

You're originally from Kalos. You have researched ghost pokemon for five years give or take. You have an innate gift for sensing evil, to see and hear what most cannot. With these, you aim to discover and learn more about the paranormal and supernatural phenomena which most people cannot explain. Ghost pokemon fascinate you because they are living proof that ghosts exist, and they appear to exist in two planes: the spirit world and the world of the living. They can also act as mediums or guides to the afterlife. This is what your research is all about.

Leon reads all this whilst eating his dinner. It's great reading material.

He's had a full day of training with Charizard and now they're camping again, making dinner to fill their hungry stomachs. He remembers that you had warned him not to go near the Giant's Seat so he hasn't wandered around too much but they've decided to camp for the night and he's not quite sure what this location is.

Charizard tastes the soup and decides there's not enough flavour so he nudges Leon's bag open and rifles through, sifting out a little packet of salt. Leon notices immediately and stops his friend.

"Wait, Charizard," Leon says, "This was a gift, remember?"

With the bag of salt in his claw, Charizard rolls his eyes and snorts. It's salt. _Salt_ , for Pidove's sake. And it's the only salt they have. The soup would taste a bit better if they sprinkled a teeny tiny pinch of salt, but Leon takes the packet of salt out his claws and returns it to the bag.

"Let's use some Chesto berries," Leon replies, grabbing some of the little blue berries out instead and Charizard snorts in disagreement since Chesto berries are more likely to make the soup taste blander.

He's about to toss them in when he hears a rather faint and fragile wail of "Help!".

And he promptly looks up.

"What was that?"

Charizard looks up from his bowl. He didn't hear it.

" _Help!_ " the voice cries again.

It sounds quite close.

Leon gets up to stand, placing his bowl down on the ground. "Did you hear that, Charizard? Someone's in trouble!" the Champion immediately leaves camp, attempting to locate the source.

Charizard bumbles after him, not entirely keen in leaving behind the nice and warm, toasty campfire he created.

Leon returns onto the path, trying to pinpoint where the pleas are coming from and he completely passes the faded wooden sign that says 'Giant's Seat: 5 mins' without realising. Charizard follows his friend, using his tail to act as a light and they head closer and closer towards the source of the voice. Leon shivers slightly, realising the temperature has rapidly dropped all of a sudden and the cries for help has dissolved into mournful, female sobbing.

However, up ahead on the path lies a girl with blue hair in a white dress, her bare legs covered in dirt and blood. She also has no shoes.

Leon arrives first and steps forwards; she looks up at him with her light blue, crystal-like eyes. He drops by her side on one knee, throwing a glance to her leg. "Miss, are you okay?"

"Help me, please. I'm cold and alone."

"Can you stand?"

"Help me, please. I'm cold and alone."

Maybe she is traumatised. Leon loops her arm around his shoulder and immediately notices that she is icy to touch. The frigidness of this girl's hand could be mistaken for a corpse. As he hesitates, the girl looks at him curiously before she places her cold hand on his cheek, pulling him closer to her face.

Leon grows uncomfortable at once as she appears to scan his features, "Um...excuse me, miss, what are you-"

Charizard arrives and the girl turns, appearing to have been caught by surprise. Her eyes widen in a split second before she lets out a hysterical shriek, pushes Leon away and sprays him with a gust of icy wind from her mouth. From her hands, a glowing ball of light materialises from thin-air which she flings towards Charizard's direction.

The flame pokemon is unable to avoid and becomes disoriented immediately, having caught the attack head-first.

His vision is swimming and he's seeing spots. Confused, he roars, turning left and right blindly. His brain has decided not to function properly. He hears Leon yelling for him. The sounds of a girl screaming assaults his ears. He doesn't know what to do.

" _Charizard, use flamethrower!_ "

Flamethrower? Okay.

Charizard unleashes a huge barrage of flames towards a dark figure in front of him which he assumes is his target.

Much to his surprise, Charizard yelps when he feels his own flames lashing at his body. Being a fire-type, it doesn't bother him but he has hurt himself in his confusion.

Charizard looks left and right again but where is Leon? Where is his best friend? As the world spins senselessly around him, Charizard flaps his wings and attempts to fly into the air before he abruptly crashes into a tree trunk. He topples over and lands on his back, roaring wildly and his vision and mind gradually clears up, the effect of the Confuse Ray finally wearing off.

Charizard sits up, clutching his aching, pounding head. How long was he confused?

It's still night-time.

He is alone.

Charizard growls and huffs, glancing around the empty woods but he is alone; Leon is nowhere to be seen. He cannot see hair nor hide of his friend anywhere. 

What about the girl?

What was she?

A ghost?

He tries his hardest to suss out where Leon may have disappeared off to but to his dismay, he cannot find any footprints, cannot pick up his scent, nothing. He returns to camp but Leon is not present either.

Emitting a bellow of despair, Charizard takes off to the skies as fast as he can. He leaves the Wild Area, remembering the exact spot where the incidence occurred and heads for the closest town which is Wedgehurst. It lies straight up ahead. Maybe he should've gone to find Chairman Rose or maybe even Raihan, but you're actually the first person he thought of and so he perseveres in his journey, hoping it's the right thing to do.

Landing in front of Magnolia's house with a loud 'thump', he marches up and pounds on the door with his curled claw. Charizard is relieved when you open the door; you're the only person who's awake at this hour anyway. Sonia and Magnolia are fast asleep.

"Charizard?" you utter in surprise.

He nods his head and snorts and huffs loudly, hoping you can understand him.

You glance around curiously then say, "Where's Leon?"

The pokemon growls loudly with anger and frustration at himself before he lowers his head with shame and guilt, because he has lost his friend. His eyes begin to grow wet because he is worried and ashamed.

You know something is wrong immediately. "It's alright, calm down. Let's go find him, okay?" you step towards him and pat him on the head affectionately as Charizard continues to bellow with grief and hide his head under his claws, "It's okay."

Charizard whines and looks at you, then nudges his head further under your palm. You rub his leathery horns and give him a gentle rub behind his ears.

"What's wrong?" says a new voice, and Charizard sees a young man with blonde hair appearing behind you.

"Jace, this is Leon's Charizard. Something must've happened to Leon," you reply, before you quickly rush inside the house and re-emerge dressed in the warm, insulted coat, hoodie and gloves, "Let's go, Charizard. Where did you lose Leon? Can you take me there?"

Charizard nods vigorously and bites on your sleeve as you pull your bag over your shoulder, tugging you forwards impatiently, inviting you to climb onto his back.

"I'll go too!" Jace yells, but the moment you climb onto Charizard's awaiting back and he immediately soars into the sky. Jace is left on his own. "...Oh. Maybe not then."

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. There's this episode of Adventure Time where Finn and Jake rescue this princess from Ice King and she goes 'Save me Finn and Jake' repeatedly and they think she's traumatised or something - that's exactly what I was thinking when I was writing the last part of this chapter ><


	6. It's You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You, Charizard and Gengar attempt to locate the missing Leon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 30.08.2020
> 
> We're venturing into dark territory now. 
> 
> Warnings for blood; this chapter contains some stuff that might make you uncomfortable. Please accept my apologies in advance!
> 
> I have a tendency to take something and I mean anything, and turn aspects of it whether it's the characters or the premise into something dark, gritty, revolting or disturbing. I think it really started off with Devil May Cry but even my One Piece fic was not spared.

**It's You**

...

...

[Unused testimonial, submitted by Chief Inspector Chris Graves: She's used to dealing with death. It doesn't get easier, but it doesn't surprise her anymore.]

...

...

A droplet of icy cold water splashes over Leon's cheek, forcing him to stir.

Opening his eyes groggily, he lets his vision settle before he looks up and around, discovering that he has been brought to a cave and is lying on an incredibly chilly and hard surface. He doesn't see Charizard anywhere.

Surrounded by nothing but doom and gloom, Leon emits a groan as he attempts to sit up. He gathers as much strength as he can to his arms and eases his elbows backwards in order to push himself off the ground but discovers he cannot move; glancing down, he sees a sheet of ice covering his legs and feet, preventing means of escape. Although he's wearing clothing that would combat the cold to an extent, he finds himself shivering from the extreme frigidness of this cavern.

"Where am I...?" he mutters, before an eerie and ethereal wail shakes the cavern walls and Leon tosses a glimpse to the source of the sound.

A writhing, ghostly white figure bobs up and down over the cavern floor in the distance, bounding closer and closer to him.

It's a Froslass.

He's never seen a wild one in Galar before and unfortunately he makes eye contact with it and the Froslass trills happily when she sees that he is awake and floats over to him, reaching for him with her little cold and elongated white paws that are attached to the sides of her head. She proceeds to stroke his long hair and nuzzles her face over the top of his head and buries her cheeks over the scruff of his beard affectionately.

Overjoyed, Froslass releases him, turning away before quickly whirling round, revealing that she has brought a leppa berry for him and she leaves it on the ground near his right thigh. She continues to float around him daintily before heading to the far side of the cave to go through a collection of rucksacks and opening them happily one by one and emptying them of contents.

Froslass goes through them whilst singing unintelligibly, occasionally throwing away items that aren't of interest before she pulls out a packet of mixed mushrooms and holds them high in the air. She emits a loud squeal of glee and clutches the packet in her paws. Next, she finds a comb from one of the bags and returns to Leon's side. She nudges the packet for his taking. 

With the comb, she settles beside him and begins brushing his hair, purring with affection.

She appears to be fond of him.

...

When Charizard brings you to the area where he had lost Leon, he lands in the middle of a lonely path hidden between a large cluster of trees and you hop off his back and onto the ground, the dirt scrunching under your shoes. 

Charizard and Gengar watch you silently as you begin assessing your surroundings. You're aware Leon has a bad sense of direction and despite your warning, he's vanished in the Giant's Seat. They camped outside, but from what Charizard is attempting to tell you, Leon was lured in.

And the moment Charizard brought you here, you knew something was wrong immediately. The negative energy that lingers here is suffocating. To the untrained eye, it's a typical, clear day. However, you can sense that the atmosphere is heavy and thick as fog. There is a miasma that has taken ahold of the vicinity, filling it up with nothing but misery, fear and regret.

Gengar appears to sense it too for he shivers on his spot.

It's very late now and there is not a single soul in sight, allowing you to work quickly and silently with no disruption. It's too dark and dank here so you decide not to waste your time dressing up as a boy in order to get yourself captured or to look for tracks or footprints, granted if there are any. Finding Leon as quickly as possible is your priority here and you have a technique that would assist you here, therefore you hurriedly drop to your knees on the ground, grabbing your bag and zipping it open.

Charizard and Gengar move to your left and right respectively and observe as you pull out a small strip of clean bandages, a pouch containing a small blank piece of scritta paper and a swiss army knife with red handle.

"Don't look if you're squeamish," you warn them as you settle the piece of paper over the ground in front of you, using your knee to prevent it from flying away in the wind, but the Pokemon don't retreat in response to your words of caution and you swipe the blade over your left palm, drawing blood.

Charizard balks at your action but Gengar doesn't flinch at all and you dab a finger into your bloodied palm and proceed to draw a symbol on the paper. When you're done, you quickly bandage your hand, pull your gloves back on, close your eyes and place the talisman over the middle of your forehead where it doesn't fall off.

You activate it with a murmured chant, re-open your eyes, and immediately the world around you has shifted; the woods are no longer empty but filled with several pale, humanoid figures that stand listlessly behind bushes and near the path. There is even one hanging motionless from a tree. There is also one standing on the cliff overlooking the horizon before it slowly shuffles away from sight.

The talisman helps weed out these weaker presences and you're able to focus on a stronger and sinister entity. Your eyes narrow once more as you hone in on the source of the overwhelming energy that plagues the entire area. It's a white and wispy trail that beckons you to follow the path before it disappears to the left, into the trees and towards the cliffs.

There.

That's where Leon was taken.

You get up to stand with Charizard and Gengar by your side.

"Let's go."

You use the talisman and the additional boon it has granted you to follow the trail that whisks you and the Pokemon far away from the gym challenger's normal path and towards the forest. Much like the haunted house case, no-one should be able to come across here unless they deliberately go off trail.

Your group continues to wade through the tall grass and through the undergrowth, trying to avoid disrupting the wild pokemon until you finally arrive at a steep and winding path that leads uphill. With a plethora of trees and bushes bordering everywhere you look, you realise you have no idea where you are. You've completely gone off track and you find yourself in a remote area devoid of anyone and anything. There are no pokemon lurking about; you have no idea of how deep you are in the Giant's Seat.

The talisman's effect is beginning to wear off, the wispy white trail growing fainter and fainter, so you hasten your pace. The dwindling trail leads you to a powerful, rushing river and Charizard needs to help you out here. Once again, he allows you to ride on his back and carries you safely across whilst Gengar floats after you both.

On the other side of the river, a deteriorated path leads directly to the mountain that lines the border and once you reach this unknown new area, a familiar black cap sits lopsided near a berry tree. Eyes wide, Charizard zooms towards it and picks it up.

It's Leon's snapback.

"He's close," you tell him, and Charizard hugs the cap to his chest before handing you the cap which you keep safe in your bag. The talisman is showing you that the trail continues, leading further ahead into the mountain. "We need to go up."

Charizard nods and when you climb onto his back, he takes off to the sky with a huge flap of his wings. Once you're high enough in the air, Charizard lets you scan the horizon where you see a large gathering of the white wisp within one of the many small summits.

You ask Charizard to land and he does so; you hop off without much further ado once you're back on land and inspect your new surroundings.

It's a strange spectacle; the summit is covered entirely in snow and there are scattered remains of a campsite which have been completely frozen solid. The tent is still standing on its frames and zipped open, the flaps fluttering uselessly in the icy breeze. You're grateful you're wearing thermal clothes for the temperature here must be bordering sub zero.

Leon must be here.

"Leon!!" you call out, shivering somewhat, "Leon, can you hear me?"

Charizard roars and bellows for his friend, his fiery tail melting away some of the ice. You inspect the campsite but there are no footprints (aside from yours and Charizard's), it does not look like it has been subjected to a pokemon attack but it does appear someone was camping here and had left rather abruptly.

You see a plate on the ground near the tent, covered in snow and full of uneaten, rotten food which you suppose is curry. An opened metal flask stands beside it, full of frozen water. Then you check the firewood, picking up one of the pieces and you notice it is charred on one side, which indicates it had been burning for a while before eventually fizzing out. Whilst Charizard and Gengar look around, you step over to check the tent, pulling the flap down to see a pair of running shoes and rolled up socks stuffed inside, along with a sleeping bag and journal and a ballpoint pen lying near the pillow.

Gengar floats inside, picks the journal up and hands it to you; you thank him and read through the pages and discover it belongs to Maisy, the first missing victim and the latest diary entry is dated roughly three months ago as per below:

'Day 10. I'm still camping in the Wild Area, somewhere in the Giant's Seat. I found this neat spot in the mountain and I don't think anyone else has been here. It's awesome! It's like I have the whole place to myself! I've visited a few pokemon dens too but I kept getting tossed out. Can't stop thinking about that Watt Trader I met in the Rolling Fields either, he is so cute! Even Rookidee thinks so!'

The entry finishes there.

Closing the book, you gingerly place it down and move from the tent. Maisy was here but there is no sign of her anywhere.

"What happened to her...?" you murmur to yourself.

The effect of the talisman eventually wears off and your vision returns to normal. You pull it off your forehead and the little paper flutters limply in the wind and disappears down the cliff. You continue searching the campsite to look for clues until you drop to your knees, clutching your chest. A particularly oppressive force has wrapped itself around you and you struggle to breathe.

The negative energy appears to cloak the entire campsite. You move to stand, blindly take a step forward near the pile of firewood and the snowy ground underneath you completely gives way. You shriek as you fall, promptly dropping inside the small hole.

Gengar is quick to dive in, catching you in mid-air and he gently lets you down on the ground and onto your feet, the bottom of your shoes crunching under the snow.

"Thanks Gengar," you mutter and he grins wider. 

Glancing left and right, jagged, sharp rocks surround you, covered in a slippery sheen of ice. You can no longer hear the howl of the icy wind outside and it is hauntingly quiet in this hole. Charizard arrives at the rounded entrance, resembling somewhat of a speck. He waves at you and you tell him you're fine, your voice echoing. It's a huge drop...a fall from this height would surely kill someone...

Gengar gestures if you want to be brought back up but you shake your head.

"I think this is it," you tell him whilst Charizard tries to squeeze himself in but he is too big, unable to fit into the hole. You're quite certain this is a Pokemon den.

Gengar tugs on your arm and you turn to where he is pointing to.

There is a medium-sized hollow to your left that indicates an entrance of some sort and it appears to be your next destination. Thanking Gengar for his vigilance, you are about to enter only to be halted immediately by the faint stench of putrefaction which hits you square in the nose. You and Gengar turn to look at each other before you both throw your glance to the uneven level of snow beneath your feet.

"....Do you think...?" you croak out, and Gengar nods.

Dread begins piling in your gut as you lower yourself to your knees and begin brushing and shovelling away the snow. Gengar assists, uncovering as much of the snow as he can with his paws until you unearth a pile of jagged rocks of all shapes and sizes. Gengar helps lift them up and moves them to the side, revealing a dull pea-green, flimsy material with a broken yellow, plastic zipper and the symbol 'LASS'. You curl your fist and gently rap your knuckles against it; there is something rock-solid underneath.

Inhaling a shaky breath, you continue to brush away more snow until you uncover an eye.

Charizard growls loudly as you pause, wondering what you have discovered, but you quickly sweep the remainder of the snow away using the sides of your palms and soon, you have uncovered a pale, white face.

Her head is bent to one side, her eyes open and staring endlessly at the sky. Ice crystals frame her face and eyelashes, her lips painted an eggshell blue.

"Oh..." you murmur under your breath, "I'm sorry... _I'm so sorry_..." 

Gengar watches you silently, then averts his gaze to the dead body. There's one more rock to move and he inches it out of its spot, revealing a dirtied bag crushed underneath and pulls it out. Holding it upside down, a crushed pokeball drops out and Gengar holds it up to you for your taking.

You're reluctant, but you take it off him and push the button and a red light fizzes limply, revealing a Rookidee... though it is unmoving as it lies on the ground, eyes closed. You reach for the little bird and cradle it in your arms, stroking its cold and limp feathers. It doesn't respond.

You look at Gengar and he shakes his head sadly.

It is dead.

Squeezing your eyes shut, you feel their loneliness, fear and pain and emit a hoarse cry from the back of your throat before you murmur a prayer for them under your breath. 

However, Charizard growls louder, forcing you to place the little Rookidee beside its trainer. Your legs feel heavy as you force yourself to stand up and rub your eyes with the back of your wrist, inhaling a deep and heavy breath.

Turning to Charizard, you yell, "Go to Wyndon Police Station and find Chief Inspector Graves! Bring him here."

Charizard nods, takes off, and the silence returns.

The hole to your left is your next destination now and so without further ado, Gengar hitches a ride in your shadow and you climb inside, lifting your left leg first then your right, and you shimmy in as carefully as you can and try not to lose balance or else you risk falling and dropping on a sharp rock. You squeeze yourself into the tight and narrow passageway which is covered in cobwebs and frost, ducking to avoid jagged rocks.

You grab your torch and shine the light in front of you only to be greeted with darkness.

It's a long trip. You cannot see anything else up ahead except pitch black. With one gloved on the wall and another gripping your trusty flashlight, you continue in your journey, using the rocks as support and taking baby steps so not to slip or fall, until the area around you becomes colder and colder, your breath escaping into the air in the form of thick puffs of smoke.

Throwing your glance over your shoulder, it's an equally long trip back to the way you came from.

You can't stop now. Emitting a grunt, you push yourself forwards, squeezing through the narrow passageway. 

Eventually, it comes to an end when you see the small, glimmering flicker of light and you are hopeful you have made it into the pokemon den. The light grows brighter and brighter, shifting to a slightly blue tinge and you arrive at a large and empty cavern with rocky, uneven walls that are completely frozen over with ice. It's even colder here than it is outside. 

You're bathed in blue and your jaw drops slightly as you make your way further inside where you are greeted with the sight of huge stalactites and stalagmites.

The stalagmites are a beautiful, crystalline azure in colour and you inch towards one to peer into it, you see a magnificent rainbow of colours within as the light from your torch reflects off. It is as tall as yourself, stretching from the ground and creeping towards the ceiling where an equally impressive-looking stalactite points dangerously above.

You shine the torch around, not quite sure what you will find here until you spot a large assortment of random bags and rucksacks piled up in one corner, including many empty phone cases.

Next, you shine the long beam of your torch to the wall where the bags are and a peaky face encased within the icy walls stares at you from across the expanse and you realise it is one of the missing gym challengers. His eyes are open, mouth agape with unheard terror, his body lodged deep within a thick case of ice.

Shining the torch to his right, he is not alone. There is another body... and another. In fact, the walls are embedded with the bodies of the missing people you were looking for. Some of them are displayed far apart and appear to have been forced into a strange, outlandish pose, with their arms and legs splayed in odd formation. Their faces are etched with horror and agony.

Resembling grotesque, stringless puppets that have been casually positioned in a canvas of ice, you struggle to breathe again as you are hit with their terror and grief which overwhelms you; the atmosphere is full of anguish and you squeeze your eyes shut with pain.

Gengar emerges from your shadow and floats into the air, looking around cautiously and on high alert.

You did it.

You found the missing people, but...

Where is Leon?

You shine the torch everywhere, calling out for the Champion until you see a familiar figure reflected off one of the stalactites. He is lying on the ground near a particularly large boulder which would've been missed.

"Leon!” you yell.

You rush over despite the icy ground and Gengar trails after you as you struggle to maintain your balance, your feet occasionally slipping or sliding over the glacial floor; when you reach the boulder, Leon is unmoving on the ground, his body covered in a thin sheet of ice. He appears paler than usual and his lips are turning a shade of blue. It appears he is in mid-process of being frozen alive but his woolly sweats are still keeping him warm to an extent.

"Leon!" you exclaim with relief, dropping to your knees beside him.

You lift up his arm, pulling his sleeve to his elbow and applying two fingers over his wrist. You find the thrum of his pulse before lowering his arm back down and you gently place your ear over his chest. When you sit up, you notice he doesn't seem to be breathing.

Being a Researcher means you have to be well-versed with at least some emergency procedures and CPR is included, though you didn't think you would ever have to carry out CPR on the Champion of Galar.

Without further ado, you move the heel of your hand over the centre of his chest, then place your other hand on top and begin to routinely press down.

Gengar floats over and watches as you administer the chest compressions before you lean down and tilt Leon's head gently, lifting his chin up to yours and pinch the bridge of his nose carefully.

You proceed to press your lips over Leon's and provide two rescue breaths before you retreat and check if his chest rises. Nothing happens and Leon is still unconscious so you repeat the process a second time until Leon's mouth opens on his own accord, he inhales a sharp breath and coughs and you release him.

He slowly opens his eyes, those deep honey pools landing on your form and the corner of his lips tugs upwards into a wide grin. 

“Leon, you're okay! Thank Arceus!!” you exclaim with relief.

You want to be careful with him as much as you can as it looks like he's in a lot of pain but it doesn't stop you from hugging him tightly; you wrap your arms around his head, bringing him into your embrace and holding him tightly, resting your chin atop his head and smoothing your hand over his hair.

Leon blinks sluggishly at you as you let go of him briefly, inspect the rest of his features by placing a hand over his icy cold cheeks. He watches you as you continue to hug him and croaks out, "...It's you..." 

"Yeah, it's me."

"...What're you doing here...?"

"We came to rescue you. You got taken by a Froslass...Geez, you're freezing," you utter, before you gently let go of him to pull your warm coat off. You proceed to drape it around him, pulling the lapels tightly together, followed by your scarf which you fish out from your bag and loop around his neck again and again. Leon's gaze is fixed on you the entire time, watching you tear your gloves off your hands and ease them over his own. "Is that better?"

He nods as you sneeze, your teeth beginning to chatter. "Aren't you..."

"It's fine. I'm fine," you say quickly, before you encircle your arms around his shoulders once more.

"...I read your blog...You're so brave..." he mutters and when he notices that your exposed fingers are shaking from the cold, he reaches for your hand and entwines your fingers together. His hand is so much larger than yours, his fingers curling around yours, and he grips you rather firmly. He's grateful for your warmth, brushing his thumb over the back of your palm.

However, he runs his fingers over your bandages and along the middle of your palm where you had cut yourself. He looks up and you throw your glance down; your gazes meet and he says, "What happened to your hand? You're hurt..."

"It's nothing."

"...Nothing?"

"Yeah."

He blinks slowly at you and murmurs your name. "I really admire you..."

"Save your strength. You're delirious from the cold," you say to the woozy Leon.

"And you're pretty..."

"Now you're just delusional."

"Where’s Charizard...?”

"I asked him to get help.”

"...How did you find me?”

"Charizard brought me to the area where you went missing and I followed this trail and...”

You can’t tell if he’s listening but he appears to be studying you carefully.

"......Charizard let you ride on his back?”

”Yeah."

Leon says nothing and you wonder why he’s fallen silent until he suddenly points at something in front of you.

You quickly look up to see an intense flurry of snow materialising in the middle of the cave before you, hovering in the air in a tight ball.

The cavern's temperature drops even further and Gengar hastily stands in front of you and Leon protectively, ready to battle.

An unearthly, mournful wail rips through the cave and sends numerous shivers down your spine and rattles your very core before the hail of snow unravels violently, revealing a ghostly white figure within, her blue eyes glowing brightly under the dim light.

It's Froslass, and she's enraged that you've trespassed her home and found her prey.

"Gengar, use Dark Pulse!" you yell, and Gengar immediately leaps towards her, summoning a bright ball of purple energy in his hands before he shoots it at the pokemon.

Froslass avoids the attack with a dainty twirl and hurls a glowing white ball at him in response. It's a Confuse Ray. He avoids by leaping to the side and you instruct him to use another Dark Pulse attack whilst Froslass counterattacks, unleashing a barrage of icicles towards your direction.

You protect Leon from the frost by throwing yourself in front of him, shielding him with your body though your back bears the brunt of the attack and you squeeze your eyes shut, biting down on your lip to blot out the pain. Leon's eyes grow wide at your action and a vicious snowstorm brews inside the cavern. As you start to shiver and twitch furiously, Leon drapes his arms around you and pulls you closer to you to him and you open your eyes in shock, whipping your head up to him.

He offers you a gentle smile and as the snowstorm rages, he moves one hand to the back of your head and the other around your shoulders as you huddle together on the ground.

Gengar darts left and right to avoid the harsh snow and Froslass' incoming attacks. His eyes glow a bright red before he soars into the air and holds his arms out, circular beams of energy shooting out.

The snow stops at once, the little round particles frozen in mid-air, and you and Leon avert your gazes to the beautiful but deadly sight. Froslass looks confused until Gengar waggles his finger and the sleet returns to her, shooting towards her direction.

You're not sure what kind of move that was but it appears to be a psychic move and Froslass is battered by her own technique.

"Way to go, Gengar!" you exclaim as you look up, still shivering, "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

Gengar returns to land in front of you and Leon, turns to you and nods, grinning wickedly.

As Froslass reels from the impact, it's then you see various shadowy tendrils emerging from her weakened body and Leon loosens his grip on you so you can stick your hand into your bag, pulling out the Odd Keystone and tossing it upwards where it lingers in mid-air and begins to shake rigorously.

" _In nómine Pátris, et Fílii, et Spirítus Sancti._ " you say aloud, aware that Leon is staring at you.

Trembling violently, a loud crack emits from the Odd Keystone and the fissure begins to glow.

The dark shadow is forcibly pulled from Froslass and the pokemon drops to the floor, severely weakened. The shadow screams agonisingly, the sounds echoing off the walls of the cave but the Odd Keystone continues quaking furiously, effectively sucking the shadow inside. Shadows also begin to arise from the multiple corpses that are frozen in the walls, a mix of contorted horrifying screams following as a number of dark, shadowy outlines become sucked out from the ice and towards the stone.

The Odd Keystone glows brighter as the shadows resist. It is futile, the keystone drags them in with a power like no other, the screams grows fainter and fainter until the dreadful sounds stop entirely, and the cavern goes silent and all grows still. The Keystone drops to the ground but Gengar quickly catches it in his paws and brings it carefully to you.

"Thank you, Gengar," you say, and he grins in response as you return the keystone safely into your bag.

Leon has been watching the entire time, eyes wide.

Averting attention to the downed Froslass, you take out a Dusk Ball from your bag, tossing it at the pokemon and the capsule smacks into the pokemon and opens, sucking the critter inside. The ball drops to the ground and wiggles for a few seconds before it successfully clicks shut.

Emitting a huge sigh of relief, you turn and bury your face in Leon's chest.

It's over.

You glance at Gengar, teeth chattering. "Gengar....can you check if...if Charizard's come back?"

He nods and heads for the narrow passageway you had emerged from, disappearing into the darkness.

It's you and Leon all alone again, and the temperature of the den is not improving; having given Leon your coat and other warm gear, you pull yourself off his chest to sit beside him against the boulder, though you still slink your arms around him, hoping to keep him warm until help arrives.

He reaches for your hand again, glancing up as you shake and your teeth chatter. "....You're cold..."

"I-I-I'm fine...don't worry about me..."

"The coat's big enough for the two of us." he utters, but you shake your head and pull the coat properly over him and zip it up to his chin. You let go of him, retreating your hand away from his and choosing to roll and curl up in a fetal position, clutching your bag to your chest for warmth.

“You need it more than I do, Leon…” you utter as you close your eyes, hugging your bag firmly.

A silence settles between you both and you don’t know how long has passed but the cold is getting worse; your fingertips are growing numb and you cannot stop trembling. You’re wondering what is taking Charizard and Gengar so long until you hear Leon fumbling around in his spot; you throw a cautious glance over your shoulder to see that he has pulled the zip down, unwrapped the coat again and he reaches for you, slinking his arms around your waist, pulling you into his embrace.

“…W-what are you doing…” 

His lips tug upwards into a grin of reassurance. “It’s okay…”

You gawp at him but you are so cold, you cannot move, resist or protest, and so Leon attempts to sit up with you sitting limply in his lap. He also unravels the scarf from his neck and drapes it around you and you glimpse down at yourself. You're sharing the scarf now. The coat is not forgotten and he pulls and tugs the thick fabric to cover you before he settles his sturdy arms around your waist and you're instantly swept up by Leon's lingering warmth. He rests his chin atop your head, the scruff of his beard tickling your scalp as he emits a hum under his breath.

You're surprised by his bold actions but you feel at ease at once and you slump against him, your cheek smushed against his chest. “….If the press saw us, they'd have a field day…” you mumble under your breath. 

He chuckles, his chest rumbling. "I know, but I wouldn't care and neither should you," he utters, "...Thank you for saving me."

"You're welcome, Leon."

"Is your back okay?"

You nod. 

He gives you a tight squeeze and although you know it's to keep you warm, you can't help the frantic thudding of your heart as you consider how close you are and how tightly he's holding you to him. You wonder if he's feeling the same.

"So...so cold..." you croak out, your breathing laboured.

He glances at you in surprise, then rubs your arm up and down with his large palm soothingly. "Is that better?"

"...Yeah."

Leon throws his gaze to the ceiling as he continuously rubs your arm. It grows silent briefly until he utters, "Hey, I got a question..."

"What...?"

"Who’s Rosie?”

"...How...how do you know that name?"

"I thought I heard you say that name when we were camping."

"Oh..." you mutter, “Rosie is my little sister…”

“…Did something happen to her?”

You grow tense, squeezing your eyes shut and curling your fists. “……..You....wouldn't understand.” And you didn’t think you would tell Leon this, if at all. "...But if she was still here, she would've been Hop's age. She would've started her pokemon journey..."

There is a silence following your revelation, but Leon gives your waist a squeeze as he shifts his arms. You cannot tell if it was accidental or not but it makes your heartbeat soar.

“...I’m sorry," he murmurs.

You shake your head limply in response.

Before Leon can ask further questions, the cave begins to tremble and a muffled but loud noise is accompanied with a fierce roar; it must be Charizard. He is not alone, you can hear several voices echoing through the passageway.

" _Mr Champion??_ " yells a familiar voice, " _We have a team coming to get you, please sit tight!"_

It's Graves.

You are saved.

...

Charizard has returned to the pokemon den with the Chief Inspector, who has brought a team with him.

Maisy's body and Froslass' victims have been recovered.

Leon is brought to the nearest hospital and so are you. You had spent the long wait in the Pokemon den huddling together until Graves arrived. The whole trip is a rather nerve-wracking one as you sit in the ambulance by Leon's side. He falls unconscious as he's wheeled in and fitted with a breathing mask but he holds onto your hand the entire time and refuses to let go, even when the paramedics attempts to split the two of you up.

Once you arrive at the hospital, you're forced to separate and Leon's fingers are pried off yours; you're extremely worried, watching as Leon is wheeled away by the medics out of the ambulance and into the hospital. He's taken to a private room away from the curious bystanders and journalists, whereas you're redirected to the main A&E area and forced to sit on a bed with the curtain pulled round, tended by a nurse on her nightshift.

Your shredded palm is properly dressed and she checks the rest of your body and back and then after that brief checkup, she tells you you're free to go. The coat is returned to you and so are the rest of your belongings. 

When you return to the main waiting area, Chief Inspector Graves picks you up for questioning and to take some testimony off you which you do to your best ability.

You're dismissed a second time after a long and particularly gruelling session and you return to the waiting area again whilst he disappears to buy a coffee from the vending machines. You find the same seat again, sit down and spot a man in a white tracksuit, cap and sunglasses who passes you and realise it is Chairman Rose of Macro Cosmos when his stoic assistant Oleana strides beside him. Despite the late hour, they appear immaculate and they're heading towards the direction of Leon's room.

You attempt to follow them, albeit maintaining a safe and short distance away and they vanish further down the corridor and into the room, the door slamming shut. As you pass several rooms, you see numerous Lampents hanging outside, staring woefully at the patients through the windows.

It appears no-one is bothered by their presences but your priority is Leon. You want to see how Leon is doing, so you want to go with them but there is already a small crowd and the nurses are doing their best to disperse them.

It's not ideal to go see Leon right now; he needs time to rest so you return to the main waiting area where you find an empty seat and sit down, glancing at Froslass' capsule.

You're not sure what to do with her.

A short while later, a dark-skinned woman and little boy (with piercing golden eyes that resembles Leon's) enters the hospital and you hear them asking for Leon at the desk and you're well aware that this is his mother and his little brother, Hop. His mother's face is sagging with concern and fear whilst Hop hugs his Wooloo to himself tightly. You can't help but feel bad for them. You observe as they disappear down the same route Rose and Oleana had ventured to. 

You still have Leon's snapback with you which you want to return to him, but you think it's best to return it to him the next morning when he's better and circumstances have cooled down.

The TV in the corner broadcasts a quick thirty second run of 'Breaking News' about eight bodies being found in the Giant's Seat that are believed to be the missing gym challengers. There are no news about Leon being part of the bunch and it shifts to a Turrfield Orchards commercial. 

You sit in your seat, pondering to yourself.

You had found Leon in the nick of time. Froslass never froze him entirely because she became infatuated with him so she had spared his life. Also, his clothes were warm enough to a certain extent. He will recover but according to the Pokemon League's official website, his match has been postponed and Rose has to give him a week or so, maybe longer, to recuperate.

You can imagine what is most likely to happen.

The League will have to reassess the areas that can be explored in the Wild Area, due to the deaths of several gym challengers. You can already imagine the social media content that will emerge such as ' _Galar's Gym Challenge and the Perils of the Wild Area: How Safe is Safe?_ ' and ' _The Reason Why I'm No Longer Going to Pursue The Gym Challenge, Read Full Article Here_ '.

The gym challenge won't be cancelled and will continue to exist but sections of the Wild Area considered dangerous for gym challengers such as the mountain summit and the pokemon den where you found Leon, will be sealed off for good and Macro Cosmos will introduce more Watt Traders to patrol so this wouldn't happen again.

You sit for an hour or so, waiting for further updates until you hear the sounds of footsteps approaching and you look up; it's Graves and another police officer, escorting one of your clients you had spoken to earlier on in the day.

She's ashen-faced and quiet until she spots you in your seat. "You liar! He's dead! My son is dead!" she roars accusingly at once, her eyes wild and full of hatred. She is quickly apprehended by Graves and the officer, blocking her from approaching you any further.

"Ma'am, calm down," Graves says and his stern looks and commanding tone serves to quell her anger in seconds.

The woman's furious expression crumbles and she begins sobbing loudly. Graves leaves the woman snivelling and wailing with the officer, heading towards your direction. 

"Why're you still here?" he asks gruffly when he stops by your side. Despite the late hour, Graves doesn't look tired. He's used to pulling late night shifts just like you. "Leon's fine, if that's what you're worried about."

"...Are there any survivors?" you ask, "The Pokemon?"

Graves shakes his head. "Frozen to death."

You tense in your seat. "What about their Rotoms?"

"Gone."

...which means they're also dead. "Okay," you say quietly as you throw your glance to your lap.

"We can handle it from here, kiddo. I'm going to speak to Rose and we'll deal with the victim's families and the press. Thanks for your help; you did good. Real good. Your parents would be proud," he scrubs his face with his palm and says, "Go home, it's late. Magnolia will be worried."

You nod in response, Graves returns to the weeping woman and escorts her away with the officer. She's grieving so you don't blame her for her outburst. It's not the first time you have been called a liar anyway.

You let out a gentle sigh under your breath before you shift your gaze to the TV again where it's showing that Chairman Rose is supposed to release some formal statement first thing tomorrow morning. There's no further reason to linger anymore and even Graves is telling you to go home. Your work here is done so you should head back to Wedgehurst. You will try to visit Leon in the morning if you can.

You get up from the seat and Gengar suddenly appears from your shadow. You look at him with a smile and he grins in response. Together, you leave the hospital and emerge outside; it's foggy and cold as you step into the night.

A single light shines from the lamppost that stands near the exit, bathing you in a warm yellow glow.

You tug your coat firmly to yourself, glance up and around before you leave the light, disappearing into the darkness.

...

Instead of heading to Wedgehurst, you take a late night Corviknight taxi and ask if the cabbie can take you to Greyson's Cemetery which is close to the Meetup Spot but a mile or so past the Dappled Grove and Rolling Fields.

The cabbie wonders why you're wanting to go to such a spooky and desolate place at night but says nothing of it since you're paying for the ride after all. He and Corviknight carry you to the entrance of the cemetery where you hop out of the huge carriage and pay the fare.

Pained screams emit from within and the cabbie's face pales. "W-what was that?!"

"You don't want to know," is your reply.

He hurriedly hands you the change then flies off with Corviknight.

You watch them leave before you push open the huge steel gates and step inside, making your way down the worn path whilst the agonising howls increase steadily in volume.

The cemetery is hardly visited during daylight hours and even less during the night.

It's a gloomy and creepy place, covered in heavy mist and fog. Rows and rows of old, grungy gravestones poke out of the soil and up ahead, a single mausoleum stands silently in the middle with the door ajar. The light is on, indicating someone is inside.

As you venture further in, you glance at all the ghost pokemon ranging from Pumpkaboo and Sableyes who are hanging around and playing together. Gengar greets a few Ghastlys and Haunters who are lurking around the fountain that contains an old statue of an angel. Looks like they're having a party.

You leave Gengar to his own devices and stroll down the empty path, eventually arriving at the mausoleum and peer between the gap of the door. A dishevelled-looking man in a black duster, shirt, trousers and flip flops with an Absol beside him can be seen within, facing a woman who is tied to a chair made out of stone. She is drenched with water, hissing and spitting and snarling through gritted teeth, her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

Absol is first to notice you, leaving the man's side to trot up to you and nudge the door open to a small extent. You smile as you squat down, patting her on the head whilst the man chants under his breath, holding a silver cross up in his withered hands.

" _Exsúrgat Deus et dissipéntur inimíci ejus: et fúgiant qui odérunt eum a fácie ejus_ ," he mutters, stepping around the woman who responds with fierce gnashes of the teeth before she hurls colourful abuse at him in a deep voice.

He presses the cross against the woman's forehead and immediately, her skin sizzles and burns, smoke emitting. She begins shaking violently against the restraints, flailing in a frenzied manner, flinging her head side to side until her features resembles a blur.

The man is undeterred and continues, " _Sicut déficit fumus defíciant; sicut fluit cera a fácie ígnis, sic péreant peccatóres a fácie Dei_."

You decide not to intervene and find a nice spot by a random gravestone, waiting in silence and twiddling your fingers together. The noises from within become more and more animalistic, resembling feral growls and grunts before it grows silent and the door opens.

The man emerges, drenched in blood and what appears to be vomit. 

Meanwhile, the ghost Pokemon behind you frolic and play, oblivious. 

You stand up at once. "Ezra!"

He emits a wheezy cough, smacking a clenched fist over his chest repeatedly before he erupts into a violent coughing fit and turns to the side, spitting out some blood. 

You immediately go over to help him stand, holding him up by the arm.

He says, "Hey kid."

"Take it easy..." you help him over the steps of the mausoleum and as Ezra plops himself down with a heavy sigh, Absol joins him and he pats her gently on the head. "What's going on? Do you need help?" 

"It's fine, nothin' for you to concern yourself with."

You peek inside the mausoleum to see the woman is now sitting limply in the chair with her eyes closed. “She gonna be okay?"

"...Yeah." 

"Who is she?"

"I dunno, she just ran inside screamin' and sayin' she been hearin' voices in her head....then she began speakin' in tongues." Ezra grunts, before he enters another harsh coughing fit. When he's finished wheezing, he grabs a cigarette from his pockets along with a lighter and lights it up, inhaling a deep drag and exhaling into the air with a deep but inaudible sigh. "Bring me a beer, kiddo. I left it behind that grave over there."

"Okay," you head over to where he's pointing to, pull out the aforementioned pack of six beers and return to his side.

"That's it, gimme."

Handing one to the old man, he flips the lid, brings the can to his lips and takes a messy swig before sighing with relief. 

You open your bag and pull out the Odd Keystone that pulses gently in your grip, "I think it's time I gave this back to you. Can you hold onto it for a while?"

He nods, you hand him the stone and he holds it in his limp hands.

"Good job," he murmurs, and you know he's talking about the number of evil spirits you've collected, "...Looks like you got yourself a partner too."

"Yep. Gengar, this is my mentor, Ezra."

Gengar stops floating around the Haunters and hovers to your side, then glances at Ezra and Absol. Absol merely regards the shadow pokemon quietly but pays no attention and returns to lie down on her front paws. Gengar floats towards Ezra's direction and takes note of his rather bedraggled appearance, the blood and vomit, before he glances at the silver cross dangling off his neck. Then he notices the old man's pupils are dull, glazed and white. They don't react to anything in front of him, not even when Gengar waves a hand in front of his face.

Ezra doesn't respond, though his smirk widens and he inhales another deep drag, the lit end of his cigarette glowing brightly before the ashes flutter to his feet. 

"...Isn't that something," he utters, "You two play nice now."

"We get on really well. Right, Gengar?" you add, and Gengar nods as he returns to your side and floats behind you. 

"So," Ezra begins, "Did you find the missing folk?"

"Yeah. It was a Froslass haunting the Giant's Seat. A gym challenger fell down a pokemon den during a snowstorm and died. She was crushed by rocks and so were her pokemon. She ended up kidnapping young men and using them as decorations in her cave. I guess she didn't want to be lonely," you emit a sigh and throw your glance to your shoes. "They were already dead. I was too late."

There is a brief silence following until he pats you on the shoulder. "...I'm sorry, kid. You know what it's like. You know what you signed up for. Most people walk in the light and then there's people like us, who tread in the darkness. This is the path you chose," he replies, "Don't be so hard on yourself. You did your best."

You don't reply to that but you gesture to the pack of beer, "Can I have one?" 

"Help yourself."

"Thanks," you grab a can and pull the lid off, downing the booze in big gulps.

Ezra returns to the mausoleum, whistling loudly. "Absol, let's go." He mutters, and the dark pokemon stretches on her paws before she joins her trainer and Ezra closes the door behind them.

You're left on your own.

Throwing your glance up to the full moon, you think about Leon and how many worlds apart you are.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. The way how reader used the talisman is similar to how they're used in Demon Slayer; the talisman in this fic is based off Japanese talismans known as Ofuda. 
> 
> 2\. The scene where reader leaves hospital with Gengar is kind of like homage to the priest arrival scene (although in reverse) and also the iconic poster of The Exorcist.


	7. Galar's National Treasure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You visit Leon in hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 06.09.2020

**Galar’s National Treasure**

_(aka 'Like A Normal Person')_

...

...

[Snippet about Leon from _Galar Daily Times_ : Selfless, humble and kind, Leon has swiftly become Galar’s National Treasure in a short period of time.

He has captured the hearts of all the women of Galar. As one fan states, "It's impossible to look at him without smiling."]

...

...

The ring of your alarm forces you to wake up and you are in a questionable mood following yesterday’s events.

It’s the afternoon and usually you wouldn’t wake up so early but you have to try and visit Leon before the end of the day and so you push yourself off the mattress, groaning loudly.

You perform several mild stretches in bed before you slide off to stand. You’ve woken at an unnatural hour. You are unused to this. You like light but hell, this light is blinding…you can’t help but hiss with distaste under your breath.

And downstairs, you can hear the muffled sounds of the TV.

You get dressed, head to the bathroom to wash up, remembering that you are also supposed to return Leon's snapback if possible.

Visiting hours officially ends at seven pm which you think is generous so when you return to the room, you pack your bag with his hat and some other essentials should you decide to pull another all-nighter in the Wild Area. You highly doubt you will considering how exhausted you are and you head downstairs with bag in tow where you see Magnolia, Sonia, Cutiefly and Polteageist in the lounge watching the news.

Once they hear you come down, they rise from their seats and embrace you. As usual, Cutiefly dives for your hair and Poltea wraps his arms around your head.

“Are you alright, dear?” Magnolia asks, glancing up at you from behind her half-moon specs as your pokemon greet you affectionately.

“Yeah,” you murmur, rubbing your arm, before you notice a cheque on the table. Lifting it up, you see it’s addressed to you and it’s a large amount. Your eyes grow wide and you croak out, “What’s this??”

“Inspector Graves came by this morning and told us everything. That’s your reward for finding the missing gym challengers,” she murmurs as she lets go of you.

“I don’t need this. I didn’t do it for the money.”

“Oooh, can I have it then? I can go shopping with Nessa!” Sonia exclaims as she reaches for it, but Magnolia whacks her hand with the tip of her cane none too gently. “Ow…Gran!”

“ _Sonia_.” Magnolia says sternly, shaking her head. Sonia pouts and cradles her hand to herself. Turning to you, Magnolia says, “I don’t want you to work on such dangerous cases from now on. Just leave it to the police, that’s why they’re here. Your mother wouldn’t want any harm to befall you and I promised to her I would keep you safe.”

“…Understood.”

“Good.”

Sonia glances between you and Magnolia and decides to return to sit on the couch silently, hugging Yamper to herself.

“Anyway, did you sleep well, dear?”

“Yes, professor.”

“We’re having roast today, I do hope you will join us.”

“Yeah, I will,” you reply, and Magnolia pats you on the shoulder; you will be joining them for lunch on this occasion, which is very rare.

She shoves her feet into her slippers and slowly leaves the lounge whilst you join Sonia on the couch with Yamper squashed between you and he scrambles into your lap.

“Gran can be scary, huh?” she whispers.

“She’s just worried,” you mutter, "How's your hand?"

"My hand is fine. How's _your_ hand?"

"Still sore," you murmur as you glance at your bandaged palm, before you look at the cheque again. The money would be good to stock up on some supplies... “Sonnie, if you need anything, just let me know.”

“Hmm, well, I did see a very nice dress in the boutique the other day,” she mutters, “It’s okay, I don’t need it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright."

You avert your attention to the news, using your finger to stroke Cutiefly’s fuzzy body whilst Polteageist pours some tea for you into a cup he fished from the kitchen for you. Chairman Rose is on screen and standing in front of many microphones shoved in his face, providing a speech on the Giant’s Seat incidence. Despite the pressure he should be facing, he seems undisturbed.

“ _I am deeply saddened by the news and my heart goes out to the families and loved ones of the deceased,”_ he says, _“However, the gym challenge will not be cancelled this year. The Pokemon League has roots dating back to the sixth century and is a beloved tradition of Galar_ ….”

Rose goes mute following those words but his mouth keeps moving, indicating that he is still speaking and the news had decided to blot out his voice for some reason.

The clip abruptly ends and returns to the news reporter who briefly talks about the dead gym challengers being found in an unregistered pokemon den in the mountains of the Giant’s Seat then it shows their mourning family members and friends. Finally, an update on Leon’s status is provided; he is in stable condition and will make a full recovery.

The news then switches to a small group outside Rose Tower carrying posters and picket signs, protesting against the gym challenge. The group consists of middle-aged women and men. Mothers and fathers, you assume.

“ _We have Evan at the scene right now. Evan, how does it look?_ ” says the reporter, and the screen changes to a skinny tall man holding a microphone in hand standing in front of the crowd.

“ _Thank you, Sarah, I’m standing in front of Rose Tower and as you can see behind me, there is a massive crowd of frustrated parents who want their voices to be heard. After Rose issued his statement earlier this morning_ …”

As the reporter drones on and on, Sonia sighs. “This is awful, I’ve never seen anything like this. I don’t think this has ever happened in the history of the Pokemon League.”

The reporter is now walking towards the crowd with the camera focused on him. He goes over to a random protestor and inches the microphone towards her, asking her to share some words.

The woman is livid. “ _Yeah, I got some words for you, Chairman Rose! You won’t call off the gym challenge? Then I’m gonna pull my son out! You’re not gonna get a single pokedollar from me!_ ” bellows the woman. She is holding a sign that says ‘No to the Gym Challenge!’ and ‘Boycott Macro Cosmos!’. “ _We want safer measures introduced into the Wild Area! I’m not going to send my child to his death!_ ”

“Oh dear,” Sonia adds as Yamper buries himself into her arms, “I wonder what this means for the future of the gym challenge.”

“Rose is pretty clear that the gym challenge isn’t going to be called off,” you reply. “It’s tradition.”

“Poor Leon, I hope he’s okay,” Sonia replies, hugging Yamper to herself tightly, “I mean, he _is_ the Champion of Galar. He endorses the League more than anyone else.”

This is really negative press for the League, the worst, in fact. Cripes, you feel responsible for this. You hope Leon doesn’t lose his job or lose popularity or anything because of this incident…

“Sonnie, I’m going to visit him later, do you want to come with me?”

“No, it’s fine, I already went this morning. He was asking about you. He was asking me so many questions," she turns to you with a wide smile, "...Is there something going on between you two? He seemed _awfully_ interested in you all of a sudden."

"No," you're quick to quip and Poltea pulls on your wrist, gesturing you to drink the tea he’s made for you which is growing cold.

It's a good way to get out of this conversation but Sonia doesn't look satisfied with your answer. Nevertheless, you lift the cup and down a sip. It’s perfect as expected and you smile at Polteageist, patting him on the head. He lets out a warble of affection and spins around in his teapot, before he lifts the teapot lid off the top of his head and begins dancing in mid-air with it. You and Sonia giggle at his actions.

You had once studied Polteageist, but nothing entirely fruitful really came from the investigation.

He was just...haunted tea.

The news moves onto an unenlightened article and you change to a channel showing a documentary about conspiracy theorists who believe the pokearth is actually flat until Magnolia calls you both for lunch and you leave the lounge to sit at the dining table to enjoy the meal. The three of you chat amiably though you do find your thoughts drifting to Leon often.

Once you finish, you help Magnolia wash up and Sonia scurries upstairs to the bedroom.

You check Rotom for any messages you received when you were asleep; Jace has messaged asking if you were alright and you reply, telling him you are fine and that you will return his belongings to him.

Graves has left a voicemail for you, informing you that he knows you have Froslass and you are to hand her over to the authorities when you have the time. You can feel your head hurting and you look at some other messages you have received. Some of the mothers of the dead gym challengers have also attempted to call and have left messages, thanking you for your work. 

Next, you see that you have received a message from Leon and your heart skips a beat when you open it. It says:

 **Leon:** Hi, this is Leon.

“Yes, I know it’s you, Leon,” you say aloud before you can stop yourself. You wonder if he’s going to say this each time he sends a message to you. There are also no smiley faces, no emojis in his messages. This must be Leon’s way of messaging. He must be keeping it professional at all times though you can’t help but think that he texts like an old man.

 **Leon:** Will you be visiting me today?

You inhale the gasp that’s threatening to escape and type a reply.

 **You:** hi leon! i was going to head over right now if ur free!

Wait a second, you sound _too enthusiastic_. Deciding to keep it neutral, you delete the exclamation marks and tidy the message up.

 **You:** Hi Leon, I was going to head over right now if you are free.

You hit send and you’re stunned to see Leon is typing a reply, the top of the screen indicating that he has immediately gone online the moment you fired the response. However, Leon suddenly stops typing and then a few seconds later, your phone screen changes, indicating Leon is calling you.

"Holy Combee," you utter as you swipe the screen and put it to your ear, "...H-hello?"

" _Hi, this is Leon_."

"Hi, what's up?"

" _Not much, I....I wanted to hear your voice_."

"Oh," your face goes ten shades of red and you gulp. "H-how are you feeling?"

" _I'm much better now. And yeah, I'm free_."

"Great, I'll pop over now."

" _Okay,"_ he replies. You can hear him smiling.

"Bye, see you soon."

" _Bye_."

You both hang up. That was rather tense. Nevertheless, you will go visit Leon right now.

As you grab your bag, your phone goes off once more and you thought it’d be Leon again but it’s your haunted house client. He’s asking if he can speak to you earlier as he’s currently in Wedgehurst and you sigh. You haven’t said no to a client before and therefore you ask if he can come now despite the short notice and he says indeed he can.

You message Leon, telling him you will be at the hospital in an hour and he messages back with a simple ‘okay’. 

“ _Oh my Arceus, are you and Leon text buddies?_ ”

At the sound of Sonia’s voice, you emit a squeak of surprise and turn round to see Sonia standing behind you with a wide smile on her face. “EEP!! Sonnie! What are you doing???”

She giggles, leaning away from your shoulder and twirling her hair in her hands.

“Were you looking over my shoulder the entire time???”

“No. Well, yes, kind of. Sorry, I couldn’t resist! There _is_ something going on between you!"

"No, there isn't..." you wail and as she giggles, your cheeks grow pink and you march away from her. “A-anyway, I don't have time for this; my client’s arriving in five minutes. I need to get ready.”

You hurry up the stairs to get dressed and your client arrives in a few minutes; you escort him to the conservatory where you recount your experience of the haunted house which seems to be such a long time ago, and he seems satisfied with the result.

He’s already paid you the initial consulting fee which was three thousand pokedollars and then you charge an hourly rate of five thousand dollars due to the nature of your work. You investigated for roughly five hours so he owes you a total of twenty five thousand.

When you see him pulling out his beaten-up wallet from his equally beaten-up bag and you see there's a Popplio along with faded, discoloured initials stitched on the cheap leather, you realise you're basically charging a thirteen year old kid a rather extortionate amount, the same price as ten Max Potions.

And so you feel bad for taking all his money when you remember that he had told you no-one believed him and that none of his friends or parents had pooled in for funds to ask for your help so your empathetic nature kicks in and you give him a discount of fifteen per cent.

The look on his face makes you smile as he leaves in high spirits to return to his gym challenger journey.

You also give him a good luck charm and tell him to stay away from abandoned houses from now on. He agrees and waves and you wave back.

It’s time to visit Leon so you leave the house shortly and take a Corviknight taxi to the hospital. During the ride, you read more signs on how to identify if a guy likes you ranging from playful teasing, talking about a future with you, opening up, putting his phone away when you’re around and then there are some that sound bizarre such as his pupils dilating in your presence.

You close the page, unsure what to think about these tips and you’re certainly trying not to _overthink_ yet as the hospital looms into view, you find yourself growing rather anxious.

You enter the hospital and it’s a lot different during daylight. All the Lampents are gone and you hurriedly register your name down on the visitor’s sign-in book before the nurse allows you passage into the ward. You thank her and rush down the corridor, arriving at Leon’s designated room.

You take a deep breath as you stop at his door, adjust your clothing and ensure your hair is neat and tidy, then you nervously rap your knuckles over the surface and hear a jovial “ _Come in!_ ” from inside.

At the invitation, you push down on the handle, open the door and peer inside.

You wonder if he would look injured or gravely ill but you’re pleasantly surprised to see Leon sitting in bed with the duvet pulled over his lap, grinning widely from ear to ear; he’s dressed in a white hospital gown with his long purple hair cascading freely down his shoulders and over his back and if it’s true, then he’s naked underneath.

…But that’s not something you should concern yourself with so you quickly brush away those thoughts and make your way towards him.

He’s holding a pink box of chocolates in hands and he’s surrounded by a bunch of ‘Get Well Soon’ cards, fruit baskets, metallic balloons and all sorts of other outlandish gifts. Interesting, so this must be how it feels to be popular and well-liked. You gape at the huge amount of boxes and once Leon’s gaze lands on your form, his eyes widen briefly before he hastily puts the box down, smooths his large hand over his untamed hair and turns to you with a somewhat awkward grin.

“H-hey, you’re here.”

He sounds nervous.

“Hi Leon,” you say as you enter the room, trying not to step on anything, “How are you?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“Are you sure?”

He nods rigorously to convince you.

You’re not convinced though and as you walk closer to him, it’s then you notice his cheeks are a little pink. You don’t say anything to his demeanor and instead, glance at the stacks of gifts in his room.

“Oh, uh…these are presents from fans,” he replies, and Charizard, who is sitting in one corner of the room immediately rises from his spot and bounds towards you, huffing excitedly.

"Hey Charizard," you greet him happily as the flame Pokemon lunges at you and begins nuzzling your palms and rubbing his snout over you. Charizard buries his head underneath your hand and you have no choice but to pet him, then he begins licking your cheek and you start laughing whilst Leon stares with widened eyes. You've heard of puppy kisses so you guess this is Charizard kisses.

"I heard someone like belly rubs," you say when he stops licking you, before you begin raking your fingers over his yellow tummy. Charizard thumps his tail over the ground energetically and folds his wings properly before he sprawls over the floor, growling loudly as you continue rubbing his stomach. Looking up at Leon, you say, "He's like a big pupper, isn't he?"

"Yeah..." Leon replies, flashing you a smile. 

Charizard rolls back upright and you give him an affectionate pat on his head before he nudges you closer to Leon. "Alright, alright..." you mutter as you're finally nudged all the way in front of the Champion and Charizard lets out a wheezy snort of content and returns to the corner, settling down to rest. 

You give Leon an awkward smile and as you look around, you realise there are no chairs in the room and you’re not sure why but Leon says, “You can sit on the bed with me.”

“Okay."

With Leon’s permission, you carefully climb onto the bed and sit cross-legged in front of him over the blanket.

"You should've seen him, Leon. He was really worried for you but he was so brave," you say, glancing at Charizard as he curls up on his paws with his tail in the air.

Leon nods, grinning. "He did great."

"He did."

You both turn to each other with a smile and Charizard emits a huffing snort of glee, looking at you two with a toothy, all-knowing grin. Throwing your glance down, you see that Leon has a box of chocolates in hands and he lifts it up to you.

“Try one,” Leon says, and you choose a cute little heart-shaped chocolate before promptly popping it into your mouth. He watches you carefully as you eat. “What do you think?”

“It’s good.”

He grabs a chocolate and munches on it before he beams. Overall, you’re relieved to see that he is well despite the incident. “Have another one.”

With a nod, you pluck another chocolate out of the box and he does the same. You both eat the chocolates at the same time, looking at each other as you chew before you exchange a smile. Leon is sharing food with you…it’s identical to when you were camping with him…

“Let’s see here,” Leon gulps down the confectionary and scoops up the card that came with it, “This is a homemade recipe by… Leigh from Circhester. Thank you, Leigh from Circhester.”

Your grin widens as Leon puts the box down and turns to a pile of unopened letters in another corner. Love letters, most likely.

“I don’t think I have enough time to go through these,” he muses, “There’s so many.”

“Are these from your fangirls?”

His cheeks flush brilliantly. “Y-yeah, I guess….which is…which is really nice of them,” he remarks, stuttering slightly as he throws his gaze to the side.

You’re quite entertained if the reason he is so nervous could possibly be you but you’re not sure. You cannot see his eyes dilating that’s for sure, but he seems to be unable to look at you in the eye.

“Well, here’s my gift,” you say, before you pull out a small wooden carving with a red string looped around it from your bag. It has a weird shape, a bit on the oblong side and it’s carved with a grotesque-looking face but when you give it to Leon, he is fascinated as he balances it in his hands. “I made it myself. It will protect you from being spirited away. I also brought your hat,” you add as you open your bag and pull out his snapback.

“Great, I was wondering where it went,” he thanks you again as he accepts it from you and settles it neatly over the bedside table, “Thanks for the gift and thanks for coming to visit me. I was really hoping for you to come.”

“Of course. I had to see if you were okay.”

His face visibly flushes again and he clears his throat, finally swerving his glance up to you. He holds the gaze and you’re both staring at each other. Your heart thumps harder the moment your eyes meet.

You look away to pick up one of his letters; it’s pink and covered in love hearts. “Not subtle at all," you utter and you can feel his gaze on you but you are too nervous to look up.

“You can read one if you like,” he says.

“Nah, that would be an invasion of privacy,” you reply and you put it back down. You force yourself to look up and indeed, he’s been staring at you the entire time. Your cheeks feel hot now, the heat spreading uncontrollably to your ears and the back of your neck. “I-I guess you’re, uh…used to receiving so many gifts?”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t make it easier for me to accept them…It’s a bit too much sometimes. If I could send some back, I would.”

“Ohh, don’t be so modest. Everyone loves you, Leon. You’re Galar’s National Treasure.”

Your compliment takes him off guard and his cheeks grow pink again.

An awkward silence settles between you two until he asks, “Do you want to go through these together?”

You want this tense silence to go away so you nod and he picks up the next gift which is wrapped in pink wrapping paper with a matching ribbon and bow.

He brings the box to his ears and shakes it and there is no sound but when he opens it, he sees it is a set consisting of a mini pink hairbrush, a fake pink tiara, giant plastic pink hairclip, fake pink scissors and finally, a matching princess handheld mirror with fake jewels that is also a bright shade of neon pink.

“Ah….interesting,” he mutters, whilst you giggle in response. He pulls the brush out, revealing a little piece of folded paper underneath. Picking it up, he unfolds it and there are messy words written all over the place in pink crayon and he reads aloud, “To Leon, from Princess Natasha, aged five. I brush my dolls with these so you should brush your hair with them too. They’re very special to me so I want you to have them. PS. Please be my Prince.”

“That is so cute!” you can’t help but squeal and he chuckles as he places the box down. “May I?”

“Go ahead.”

You scoop the tiny brush, sit up properly in your spot and lean forwards. It could be the trick of the eye but you swear you see him stiffening slightly when he realizes you’re inching closer to him.

With brush in hand, Leon blinks blankly as you rake the bristles over his thick bangs until they become tame and Leon stares at you wide-eyed as you swipe the brush over the frames of his face and over the back of his head and his face flushes in response.

You finish the look by grabbing the hideous pink clip and brush some of his thick purple hair to the left and slide the clip over, pressing down until you hear it snapping shut. To your utmost surprise, it stays on.

Next, you grab the scissors and pretend you’re trimming his beard, humming cheerfully under your breath, but it does look like he has more stubble than usual. When you realise Leon is staring at you intently, you quickly put the toys back into the box and clear your throat. You got carried away…

You quickly pick up the mirror and show him his reflection. “There. Don’t you look ravishing?”

Leon stares at himself before he chuckles and you join in, laughing lightly until he removes the clip, looks at your direction and as he reaches forwards, you stiffen as he gently brushes his fingers against the side of your cheek and over the side of your head, pushing a few strands of hair and tucking them behind your ear.

Your cheeks grow warm as he clips the plastic atrocity in place and grins. “I think it suits you better.”

Your heart beats like crazy but you force yourself to laugh in response though it sounds like you were doing an impression of a honking Ducklett.

“About last night….thanks for saving me,” Leon says, and he’s staring rather intensely. "Chairman Rose knows what you did and he wants to thank you."

“I-it was nothing, but uh…did you watch the news?”

“Yeah, and I’ve to issue a statement in a few days but…” Leon leaves his sentence trailing, sighs and his gaze softens as he gives you a thin smile, “The Wild Area and the League will introduce safer measures. It’s a good thing and it will be a difficult time ahead, but I know we’ll be able to pull through. Even though Chairman Rose is having a tough time right now….and what happened to those gym challengers…As Champion of Galar, I can’t help but feel responsible for this but I want people to continue to believe in the gym challenge and be the best trainer they can possibly be.”

“Leon, it’s not your fault at all.”

He throws his glance to the side however, "I'm sorry, I didn’t mean to go on like that."

"It's okay. Remember I told you before? Whatever it is you're feeling, feel free to get it out of your system. I'm all ears."

Leon pauses, blinking at you in surprise before he utters, "Thanks."

"No problem."

"Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about last night?"

"Not at all, ask away."

"How exactly did you find me?"

"Well, I was doing my research on the case with the missing people from the Giant's Seat."

"I remember you telling me that. We deliberately stayed away."

You don't say anything to that because he still ended up there anyway and so you continue, "I was at the Research lab, looking at all the missing folk and trying to suss out a pattern...and figured it was a Froslass. Went home with Jace to talk about-"

"Who's Jace?"

"Just a friend," you reply and Leon suddenly has a rather undecipherable expression on his face, "Anyway, suddenly Charizard arrived outside my house in Wedgehurst and I got on his back and he flew all the way to the Giant's Seat where he lost you. I used a...um...well," you show him your bandaged palm, "I used an advanced divination technique to find you. You can ask Charizard for further details if you want."

Leon nods, a little perplexed. He's listening though, completely hooked in.

"I followed the trail all the way to this mountain, to this summit, and dropped into a Pokemon den and..." you leave your sentence trailing, inhaling a shaky breath, "....They were there. All the missing people. And then I found you."

A brief silence spawns following your response.

"If you're wondering what the stone is, it's an Odd Keystone."

He nods, hand under his chin, "I read about those."

"My mentor let me borrow it."

"Ezra, right?"

You look at him surprise. "You remembered...?"

"Yeah." Leon replies with a grin.

Your cheeks feel warm. "W-well...Ezra and I have collected about eighty or something spirits over the past few years, so we're almost there," you're wondering why you are sharing so much with Leon but he is such a great listener and he genuinely looks _interested_. "He taught me how to use it to trap evil spirits. In fact, he's taught me pretty much everything I know."

After your long revelation, Leon offers you a smile when you exhale loudly, seemingly exhausted. "Thanks for telling me."

"Of course. You have a right to know."

"Do you want to go for a walk? I haven’t left the room since lunchtime. It would be nice to get some fresh air.”

“Sure,” you remove the pink clip and you’re quick to stand, immediately knocking over several giftboxes with your leg and causing a domino effect as they topple against other boxes one by one and they collapse over the floor loudly. You turn round to Leon with a wince. “Sorry.”

He laughs as he hops off the bed and grabs his white hoodie from his bedside table which he pulls over his head, slotting his arms in. “It’s alright. Let’s go.” Turning to Charizard, he says, "You wanna come along, bud?"

Charizard shakes his head, possibly because he knows he'll be a third wheel, so you and Leon head to the door and he opens it for you; still a gentleman, no matter what. You thank him, leave the room and he closes the door behind him.

“Let’s go this way.” Leon says, guiding you towards a corridor to your left.

He walks close beside you and your shoulders occasionally nudge together. The corridor’s wide enough and there’s no-one in your way but you both seem to be stepping in line together, gravitating towards each other and staying close.

Eventually, the corridor leads you to a large area where you see a number of patients sitting at tables playing chess, reading the newspaper, watching TV or walking around aimlessly.

As you walk with Leon, everyone greets him and waves.

You can only watch in silence as Leon greets them politely. Even though he’s only been in the hospital for a few hours or so he’s already made friends with everyone…. It’s a skill you wish you had for people usually look at you with disdain the moment they lay eyes on you and avoid you like the plague.

You pass an old man in a nightrobe, seated in a comfy-looking armchair who pipes up, “Hello Leon, is this your girlfriend?”

The two of you abruptly stop in your tracks, your jaws hanging open with shock. Leon’s face grows bright red before he splutters, “N-no, we’re just friends!”

And you don’t know what’s worse: how quick Leon had responded to the assumption or his words. Maybe both.

The old man merely chuckles and winks at him. “That’s what they always say at the beginning! I’ll be keeping my eye on you two, mark my words!”

You cringe like crazy, leaving the ward as quickly as possible and Leon heads towards a door that seems to lead to the exit. It’s a short trip but Leon does not make eye contact with you nor does he say anything until you have left the ward.

Leon has brought you to a large yard with a fountain in the middle. There’s also nobody here.

“Oh wow, this is nice,” you mutter, before you rush over to the fountain and peer over the ledge, gazing into the pool. A few Goldeen and Seaking are inside, swimming around gracefully.

Yep,” he agrees as he joins your side, grinning.

You see some Swanna swimming in a small group so you pull out some snacks from your bag and break it into smaller chunks, throwing tidbits into the water; the pokemon gather round the morsels and gobble them greedily.

Leon watches as you feed the pokemon happily before he rubs the back of his neck. “Hey, uh…I have something to tell you.”

“Yes?”

"Would you like to have dinner?"

Your eyes grow wide as you stop feeding the Swanna to stand up, facing him with your jaw hanging open. "D-dinner?!"

"Yeah. My family would like to meet you.”

"Oh. Right. Gotcha. Family with the dinner. Uh, I mean _dinner with family_."

"My mum wants to thank you for saving me and Hop really wants to meet you too,” Leon says whilst you mentally kick yourself, “I’m getting discharged first thing in the morning and Chairman Rose has given me a few days off so…it would be great if you could come over to my house for a barbecue tomorrow. It would mean a lot to them… and it would mean a lot to me as well.”

You’re stunned; his words have stolen your breath away but you manage to choke out a meek, “Really?”

“Yeah,” he replies, and as you gawk in silence, Leon’s cheeks grow pink and he slides his gaze to the side. “T-that is, if you’re free.”

You snap yourself out of your stupor and nod, “O-of course! Sure, I’d love to. That sounds great. Thank you, Leon.”

"Have you been to a barbecue before?"

"No."

"You're gonna love it," he replies with a wide smile on his face, causing your heart to thump harder than usual. “I’ll give you the time and send you my address later…I live in Postwick and my house is the biggest one on the right, you can’t miss it.”

You can’t help but giggle and soon it grows silent as you stand together, staring at each other again.

“...You’re really…different," Leon suddenly says.

"Different?"

"Yeah."

"Uh, you mean that in a good way or a bad way?"

"Good way, of course!" he exclaims quickly to shake off any misunderstandings, "I find it relaxing to be around with you."

"Oh, well, I've been told I have an old soul," you reply with a hum under your breath, and you wonder if that had anything to do with what he just said.

"And I saw what you did back in the cave with Froslass," Leon continues, "You’re an amazing person….it’s people like you who really help Galar during times of need. I want everyone to know that you saved my life if…if that’s okay with you.”

Your face grows hot at his compliment. “That’s very kind of you, Leon, but you don’t need to do anything for me and I’m not looking for any kind of reward. I-it’s my work, you know? Well, maybe not just work but…” As you struggle to explain yourself, fighting for words, he chuckles. You add, “Remember I told you that my line of work revolves around dead things?”

“Yeah.”

"People around me get hurt, Leon. And I don’t want you or anyone to get hurt because of me. People don’t understand.”

“I understand.”

“I know I have my blog but what I’m trying to say is – oh,” you pause at once, and he chuckles. 

Following that, a nurse steps inside the yard and says, “Excuse me, Mr Champion? You have another visitor.”

You both throw your glance to the nurse as Leon acknowledges her and she departs. "I'll take my leave," you say, a tad reluctantly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

“Dinner tomorrow?”

You nod.

“Any allergies we should be aware of?”

You shake your head.

He plants his palm on your shoulder, giving you a firm squeeze. “Great! See you then. I’m looking forward to it,” he says, before he gives you a wink and your stomach does a backflip. 

When you leave the hospital, you pass the gym leader of Hammerlocke in the corridor and he's with a rather timid-looking girl whom you believe is his girlfriend. You throw a quick glance at them but they don't seem to notice you, and you look at their hands which are entwined tightly together. You hear the girl talking about something or someone called 'Driffie'.

They must be visiting Leon. He knows so many people compared to you. Off the top of your head, you can only count Jace, Graves and Ezra. That's about it. You want some boy advice, but it's not a good idea to ask Graves or Ezra, so you might ask Jace later. 

You’re confused and inwardly hating yourself for once again, mistaking Leon’s friendliness for perhaps flirting and hints of romantic feelings, the usual. It dawns to you that you had spent the entire time with Leon as a blushing mess and also, your heart wouldn’t stop thrashing against your ribs.

And when you arrive home, Magnolia’s asleep and Sonia’s lounging upstairs in the bedroom. You immediately rush up the stairs, opening the door wide.

“Sonnie,” you exclaim, and she looks up from her magazine, “I have been invited to a dinner tomorrow. Like a normal person.”

”That’s fantastic! With who?” 

“Leon and his family. It's gonna be a barbecue. They want to thank me for finding him,” you reply, and Sonia’s eyes widens abruptly before she sits up. “Wait, no, why am I doing this? I...I shouldn't be associated with Leon. He might get hurt because of me. Oh wait, it's sort of happened already..."

"No, no! You should go. Come on, don't be like that..."

"O-okay, but I’m really nervous about this. Help me.”

“What do you mean? You’ll be fine! Just be yourself.”

“Be myself?” you utter, before your eyes bulge, “That’s the worst possible me I could be.”

Sonia shakes her head wildly. “Don’t be silly! Arceus, this is exciting!” she exclaims as she slides out of bed. “Do you have anything to wear?”

“No…but I do want to wear something nice though.”

She giggles. “Leave it to me! This is like those movies where the girl gets a makeover!” 

“You don’t say,” is your reply as she hurries over to you, circling you and checking your hair and nails and your complexion. You add, “I need your help, Sonnie, but I want this to be as painless as possible.”

“Of course,” she utters as she continues to inspect you. Placing a hand under her chin, she snaps her fingers and smiles widely. “I know what to do!”

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. hehe Wallflower readers, did you see what I did? She got a cameo yay! If anyone is interested, Wallflower is my Raihan x Reader fic :)


	8. Me Kill You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally get the time to study Gengar, you also get a new client and it's the day of the dinner where more awkwardness between you and Leon ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 13.08.2020

** Me Kill You **

…

…

[Robert the Doll is the world's most haunted doll. It can move on its own, change its facial expressions and cause misfortune]

…

…

After Sonia’s helped you pick an outfit and matching shoes to wear for tomorrow’s dinner, you fish out the Wooloo plushie from your closet. You had mentioned to Leon a while ago that you had a spare for his little brother and you inspect it, turning it round and round. It’s clean and in great condition so you place it carefully inside a white plastic bag, tie the straps together and leave it beside your backpack on the floor, ready for tomorrow.

When it’s around eleven pm, Sonia, Cutiefly and Poltea go to sleep so you quietly make your way downstairs. Magnolia has left spare food for you as usual and after reheating it, you carry the food with you to the lounge and sit down on the sofa.

You’ve got a whole night ahead of you and you have no active cases so it’s a good time to study Gengar.

It’s peculiar; for the past couple of years and you didn’t think about owning pokemon but here you are with a Gengar and Froslass, though you will need to hand the ice pokemon to Graves very soon. 

It’s inevitable and hopefully she will be in better hands under the right ownership. You had thought about releasing her but if Graves finds out, you’re done for.

You finish your food and when Gengar emerges from your shadow, you grab your journal and ask him to stand still so you can sketch him.

He can only stand still for a few seconds or so before he yawns and decides to float in the air and cartwheel around the lounge.

When you finish the sketch, you ask him to stand before you which he does, his feet touching the ground for a change, and you use a measuring tape to take note of his height. He is roughly five foot eleven.

“You’re very tall compared to the average Gengar,” you utter and he nods vigorously, grin widening. “You have teeth too. Human teeth.”

He nods again and opens his mouth wide, showing you his pearly whites. You tap your chin with your pencil, tilting your head to the side as you inspect his mouth.

“You even have a human tongue.”

Gengar proceeds to stick his tongue out which extends all the way out of the door of the lounge and into the landing.

“Interesting…”

You use the measuring tape to work out the length of his tongue and it turns out to be even longer than his height. Once you’re finished, Gengar rolls his tongue back up and chuckles darkly.

“Well, according to the pokedex entries, you _were_ a human in your past life…” you put the measuring tape away, flip your journal to a certain page and read aloud, “'Should you feel yourself attacked by a sudden chill, it is evidence of an approaching Gengar. There is no escaping it. Give up’.”

Gengar laughs in response and rolls around the air with glee, clutching his tummy.

“Do you remember your past life?” you ask and he pauses to ponder, then shakes his head. “Do you remember how you became a Ghastly?”

Again, he shakes his head.

“So you woke up one day and you were a Ghastly?”

He puts a hand on his hips and a hand under his mouth as though deep in thought, but shrugs.

“What did you do when you were with the Duke?”

Gengar glances round, points at your pencil which you give to him; he returns to float in the air, then pretends to stab at the air viciously and as though he is fighting an invisible enemy.

“You fought in a war?”

He nods and returns the pencil to you, sighing inaudibly and wiping his forehead. He looks tired.

“This is really interesting,” you mutter to yourself, scribbling notes in your journal before you reach over and pat the top of his head.

He is rather cold to touch and you retreat.

"You’re tangible," you mutter, before you plant your hand over to where his stomach should be to pat his belly. Much to your surprise, your hand sinks in and you feel...nothing. You attempt to grab but you cannot even feel your own fingers. "Whoa. Obviously you can be tangible or intangible at your own free will. What’s inside you? Can I see?"

Gengar nods, grabs you by the arms and pulls you inside his tummy face-first for a few seconds or so. When he pulls you back out, you gasp and blink dazedly.

"...Darkness, swirling vortex of nothingness, an eternity of black, a void," you mutter unfocusedly, before you quickly rush to the kitchen and pull open one of the cupboards to grab a few snacks, tearing off the wrappers and stuffing them into your mouth. You even grab a chocolate bar, unwrapping it and munching it quickly. You feel better at once and sigh with relief. Putting the chocolate bar down, you exclaim, "I shall write this down!"

You return to the lounge, flinging yourself over the sofa to grab your journal and you begin jotting down what you had witnessed and experienced when Gengar showed you his insides.

You describe how there was nothing and you had no sense of self, nor were you aware that you were alive though you experienced intense feelings of hopelessness, despair and sadness and you also write down that he smelled somewhat of sulphur but the golden question really is:

"Hey Gengar, can you take me to the spirit world?"

He looks at you with widened eyes, then shakes his head.

"Why not?"

Glancing left and right, he grabs one of the flowers from Magnolia's vase on the mantelpiece and holds it in his hands, then moves to float on his back, lying horizontally in the air as he clutches the flower to his chest with his eyes closed.

"Yeah, I know one is usually dead in order to go there but...can’t you separate me from my body?”

He looks confused.

“Like, um….split my soul from my body?”

Gengar glances at you before he circles the side of his head with his finger.

“Don’t give me that, I’m not crazy, okay? I mean, what happens if a living person is accidentally brought there? Can they escape? Are they alive or dead?"

He looks confused by your question and again, imitates being dead.

You sigh, shaking your head, and turn to a new page of your journal, eager to study more and so you let Froslass out of the capsule and into the lounge.

You sketch her as she looks around and inspects random objects; she appears curious about her surroundings and eventually picks up Sonia's hairbrush which she had left lying on the coffee table and returns to your side, brushing your hair and trilling a somewhat melancholic tune.

You try to study her as much as possible but she doesn't appear to listen to you and keeps floating around, picking up random things and throwing them around in the air when they're not interesting to her.

When you are left to pick them back up and put them into their respective places, she puts her little paws to her mouth and giggles. Quite the prankster, this one. You determine she has an impish personality and she has taken a liking to the hairbrush, holding it tightly to herself.

When it’s six am, the ghost Pokemon are exhausted and you emit a loud yawn and stop studying them though the entire session has aroused more questions than answers. It’s time to retire and you're exhausted; you quietly head up the stairs and into the room. 

Sonia dozes in her bed, lying on her side with her back to you. You slide into your bed noiselessly, wrapping your thick, cosy covers around you and close your eyes.

You drift off to sleep until a rough shake on your arm forces you to wake and you open your eyes groggily to see Sonia standing by your bed.

“…Huh? What…what is it, Sonnie…?” you croak out, rubbing your eyes.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up so early but you have a new client…” Sonia mutters and you check the clock.

It’s ten in the morning…and you groan out loud and slap your hand over your eyes tiredly.

“They really want to talk to you," she adds, "They really, _really_ want to talk to you.”

You can hear the emphasis so you nod.

“………….Alright, fine,” you mumble as you get up from bed and grab your black dressing gown from the chair and drape it over yourself, half-awake. You only managed roughly four hours of sleep…

Sonia watches as you tiredly trudge downstairs, barely awake, and the light hurts causing you to hiss and wince as you blindly make your way through the lounge. You head to the direction of the conservatory where you peek through the gaps of your fingers to see a couple seated on one of the sofas. They look relieved to see you despite your frumpy and drowsy appearance.

Lethargy has taken over; once your eyes has adjusted to the light, you stop wincing and plop yourself in the empty sofa as the couple nervously fidget, balancing a white plastic bag in arms.

You're finding it really hard to stay awake.

“Thanks for seeing us,” says the man, and you’re assuming it’s the husband.

You nod wearily, crossing your arms as you nod off.

“No problem..." your voice is sluggish as you fight to stay awake whilst emitting a huge yawn, “How....how can I help…?”

You are so tired you can only catch snippets of what they're saying as you yawn once more.

" _We live in Turrfield_ ,”

" _Our daughter turned eight_."

" _We got her a gift for her birthday_."

Your eyelids are drooping no matter what. "...Okay…Zzz…”

" _This doll_."

"...Mm….hmm…yep…what about it…”

"... _Makes_ _strange noises......moves on it’s own_ …."

Your eyes jerk open.

"What?!"

Looking up and around, you see that you are still in the conservatory but the couple are gone and you are alone. In an instant, you sit up as you look left and right. The room is empty.

"Where'd they go?" you squawk.

Sonia enters the conservatory and you throw your wide-eyed glance to her.

"They left an hour ago. You fell asleep," she says, walking round the sofa with a teapot and cup before she seats herself on the sofa opposite yours, crossing her legs.

"Oh," your eyes grow wide and you scrabble up to stand, "That's terrible. I should call them.”

"Relax, they said they left something for you." Sonia gestures to the corner where a white plastic bag sits against one of the potted plants, the straps tied tightly together.

You head over, picking up the bag and realizing that it is exceptionally light; untying it, you pull the straps apart and peer inside.

It's empty.

“….Hey Sonnie, where’s the doll?”

“What doll?”

“There should be a doll.”

“I didn’t see any doll.”

“That’s weird,” you mutter, rubbing your chin, “They came all the way here and forgot to bring the doll?”

Scratching your head, you shrug and decide to return upstairs with the white plastic bag. There is no doll inside so you’re not sure what’s going on. You will call the client later to inform them they must have forgotten it.

When you return to your room, you emit another long yawn, scratch the side of your hip and flop over your bed, snuggling into your pillow and burrowing yourself with the blanket once again; the moment you hit the bed and you close your eyes and begin snoring immediately.

You’re not sure how long you had slept when you feel the blanket slowly being pulled away from your body and you begin shivering.

“Nnmm…Yamper, cut it out…Stop…stop that…” you mumble under your breath.

The blanket continues shifting down your body until it slides off the bed and flops loudly onto the floor. The coldness forces you awake and you open your eyes, blinking groggily in the dark room.

“Huh?” you croak out as you push yourself off the mattress using the back of your elbows, looking around the empty bedroom before you spot the blanket lying crumpled at the foot of the bed.

You must have kicked it off in your sleep somehow… though you swear someone was pulling the blanket off you...

Crawling to the edge of your bed, you bend down and reach for it, grabbing the blanket and lifting it up and you do a doubletake when you see a strange shape lying on the floor underneath it.

Lifting the blanket up, you reveal a small, grey and dirty ragdoll with an enlarged head, two black buttons sewn on for eyes and a jagged line of black stitches that you assume is supposed to be the mouth. It has short black strands of thick yarn for hair and its limbs are round and stubby.

It can’t be Sonia’s for you believe it’s rather unsightly for her liking… and it’s certainly not yours, that’s for sure. You don’t think this could be a new chew toy of Yamper’s, either.

It’s most likely the doll your client mentioned.

“They got _this_ for their daughter’s eighth birthday?? It looks like a voodoo doll...” you say aloud before you can help yourself. Shrugging, you scoop it up and let it sit on your bedside table where it slumps against Sonia’s hairdryer, and you grab your duvet and wrap yourself up once more and roll over to sleep, closing your eyes.

The room falls silent.

You’re so exhausted, your body begins to relax. Your mind grows weary, a blanket of darkness consuming your thoughts until a cold grip seizes you by the ankle and drags you several inches from your spot.

You sit up at once, kicking the blanket off you and staring wide-eyed at the edge of your bed only to see the ragdoll sitting near your left foot with its head flopping backwards.

“What the….”

As you gawk, the doll begins to twitch aggressively before its head flips forward and into its normal position, and your eyes grow wide.

“Haunted doll!!!” you yell, and Gengar manifests from your shadow on the wall. You point hurriedly at the doll, “Gengar, attack!”

Gengar obliges and immediately fires a beam of purple energy at it, blasting it off the bed and burning a small section of your mattress in progress. The ragdoll flies into the air before it lands on the ground with a thump.

It doesn’t move and you and Gengar glance at each other warily before you quickly tiptoe forwards, seize the white plastic bag, grab the doll by the scruff of it's back and dump it inside. It begins to thrash and you tie the bag in a tight knot, then hastily murmur a quick chant to immobilize it. Rushing to your desk, you open one of the drawers and find a scrap of scritta paper, grab a red marker and draw a symbol on it before you stick it on the bag. That should do it.

The entity sealed inside the bag struggles and flails and you glance at Gengar with a wince. “Well, that’s a first,” you say, lifting the bag up and giving it a shake.

It continues wriggling violently, accompanied with a sound akin to the noise of teeth grinding. " _Kccchhhkhhhkk_...."

“Yeesh, it’s like a tiny terror, right Gengar?” you mutter as the sound sends various shivers down your spine, and Gengar nods.

You throw a glance to the clock; it’s now one in the afternoon. You need to get ready for the dinner which means unfortunately, you will need to deal with the doll later. However, you're still sleepy so with the doll subdued, you fall back into bed, fast asleep.

At five pm, you awake from the beeping of your alarm and unfortunately you're still tired from being woken up so many times during the day but you force yourself to get up so you can utilise the additional two hours to get ready. You get dressed in the outfit Sonia had sussed out for you and before you leave the house, you grab the bag with the Wooloo plush that’s meant for Hop.

The Wooloo doll and the haunted doll have been placed in similar white bags but you made it a point to keep them separated and also, you put the talisman on the haunted doll bag so you pick up the bag that has no talisman and open it for a thorough doublecheck.

Indeed, the Wooloo doll is inside.

You put the bag back down and continue getting ready, rushing around your room to grab some accessories and a spare hair tie just in case. Once you’re done, you grab your pouch and the Wooloo bag and leave the room.

“Sonia, professor, I’m heading out now!” you exclaim as you head downstairs..

“Have fun at Leon’s, dear,” Magnolia says; she’s in the kitchen washing the dishes whilst Sonia lounges with Yamper in the living room, watching a chatshow.

“Tell Leon I said hi,” she says.

“Okay,” you settle the Wooloo bag on the floor and head to the cupboard under the stairs to grab the sandals Sonia prepared for you and return to the front door, slipping them on. 

When you leave, Sonia gets up and off the couch a few minutes later with her empty mug to get some water. However, she spots something lying on its side, hidden behind the umbrella stand.

It's a Wooloo plushie.

…

You make your way down the path of Wedgehurst to Postwick. Sonia’s picked out a white summer dress which she thinks is perfect for the weather.

Whilst you’re far more inclined towards the colour black or anything that would cover up the most skin, this dress seems to reveal a lot of leg and chest than you had wanted. She’s picked a pair of matching nude sandals and a beige crossbody pouch to complete the look, and she’s also helped with your hair and makeup; she has brushed your hair neatly and applied minimal makeup for a more natural look.

You can't help but wonder what Leon will think of you.

The path to Postwick is linear albeit covered with tall grass which you avoid at all costs and very soon, Postwick looms into view; it’s a tiny farming town with a small population. It’s pleasant and dainty with cottages straight from fairytale picture books, with thatched roofs and walls covered in ivy. One wouldn’t have thought the Champion of Galar would have roots from this modest settlement.

Leon’s house is not hard to miss. As he pointed out, it’s the biggest house and you pass the trimmed hedges and stone walls, pass the mini battle court and the garage. There’s a large barbecue grill and an outdoor table which is where the dinner will possibly take place. Leon wasn’t kidding. His house could be mistaken for a mansion...

You arrive at the front door and press the doorbell, then take a step back and wait on the doorstep whilst smoothing your dress down and tidying your hair, inwardly rehearsing some lines in your head. “Hello, Mrs Leon’s mum. I am a Pokemon Researcher. How do you do? Wait, let’s try that one again: _How do you do?_ Oh, how splendid. Me? I’m well, thank you very much. Thank you for inviting me for dinner….”

When the door opens, you stop practising and look up to see the same woman from the hospital standing before you and she smiles widely.

“Oh! You must be…” she says your name and you nod. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

“It’s lovely to meet you too.”

“Come in, come in!” she exclaims happily as you shake hands, and she opens the door wide for you and ushers you inside the house, “Leon, your friend is here!”

You hear footsteps from upstairs; Leon arrives at the top of the stairs and hurries down, looking rather flustered. He’s also dressed very casual, barefoot and donned in a pair of black joggers, a thick and woolly, white sweater and shirt.

When he sees you at the door however, he freezes on the last step as he gets an eyeful.

“Hi Leon.” You wave at him as you stand on their furry ‘home sweet home’ mat.

“H-hi,” he utters. His face grows pink as he looks at you from head to toe, jaw going slack. His reaction does not go unnoticed; his mum giggles as she heads over to his direction and plants a hand on his shoulder, steering him towards your direction until he’s directly in front of you and you look up and he looks at you and your gazes meet.

Following that, you hear another set of rapid footsteps bumbling down the stairs and it’s the little boy from the hospital clutching a Charizard figurine in hand. With a Wooloo rolling down the stairs after him, he leaps off the last step and lands in front of you, looking up at you with a big grin whilst Wooloo takes a baby leap off the step and trots over.

Leon’s little brother grins widely at you and says, “Hi there, Lee told me all about you! I’m his little brother, Hop.”

“I know, he told me about you as well,” you say with a smile as he looks up at Leon, who grins and playfully loops an arm around the back of his neck and Hop begins to laugh as Leon proceeds to playfully drive his clenched knuckle over his head.

“And he’s my biggest fan too,” Leon adds.

“Leon told me you like Wooloo so I brought you something,” you hand him the white bag, and he blinks as he accepts it.

“…For me?”

“Of course.”

“Oh wow! Thanks, mate!” he exclaims, “Lee was right, you’re pretty _and_ kind!”

Your eyes bulge as you gape at Leon who begins spluttering at once. Leon’s mum and Hop exchange glances before they grin at your interaction.

“Hip-Hop, would you like to help me get the barbecue sorted out?” Leon’s mum coos before Hop can open his gift.

You chuckle under your breath. _Hip-Hop_ ….how adorable…

Hop looks at the bag briefly then nods, “Okay, mum, let me put this in my room first," he says, before he rushes up the stairs with your gift.

“I’ll send the Hopster to get you when everything’s ready,” Leon’s mum says to you with a wink, and when Hop returns downstairs, they make a speedy exit towards the direction of the kitchen.

It’s just you and Leon.

“So uh…where can I put my shoes?” you ask, and Leon finally tears his eyes away from you to throw his glance to your feet.

“Oh, here is fine,” he gestures to the side of the door where a bunch of shoes are lined up on the floor over a mat and you slip out of the sandals and carefully place them beside Leon’s champion boots. “You look lovely.”

And your cheeks grow pink in response. “Thanks,” you offer him a smile, gingerly placing your hands behind your back, “You have a very nice house.”

He chuckles and rubs the back of his neck at your compliment. “Come on, I’ll give you the grand tour,” he says with a grin, and he leads you into the living room where an elderly man sits on an armchair with a Purrloin who is fast asleep in his lap.

Leon enthusiastically introduces you to his grandfather who looks up from the snoozing pokemon and greets you politely and you do the same; he asks you briefly about your work before he’s conveniently called to the kitchen by Leon’s mum.

You’re alone with Leon once more as grandpa settles the snoozing Purrloin over the sofa and slowly shuffles to the kitchen. Leon tosses his glance to you as you take the time to look around his large and spacious lounge, spotting the numerous trophies displayed on the mantelpiece. There is also a portrait of Leon in his champion attire beside a framed medal on the wall.

“Where are these from?” you ask as he joins your side, “This one looks interesting.”

He looks sheepish, cheeks reddening as you step towards the fireplace and peer at the engraved words on one of the trophies. “I won that at the World Coronation Series."

“That’s really impressive.”

Your words only serves to make him blush harder and Leon blurts out, “Do you want to go to my room?”

There is a brief silence until Leon’s face grows even redder than ever before and he begins spluttering incoherently.

You guess he doesn't invite girls to his room often but you say, "Sure."

Leon stops stuttering and his eyes widens a brief fraction at your response. Nodding limply, he leads you out of the lounge, heading up the stairs. Along the way, you pass his grandmother; she greets you politely and after a brief introduction, decides to head downstairs to leave the both of you alone.

Leon’s house is huge with several winding corridors and turns, and you can’t help but wonder if his poor sense of direction started with this but you see there are signs stuck to the wall that will help him find his own room and when the signs run out, he has arrived at a random door, opening it.

He lets you go in first and this would be the first time you’ve stepped foot into a boy’s room - and the Champion’s room, nonetheless. You’re stunned that his room is quite plain and the interior decor are Autumn-inspired, with the reddish floor and the tawny shade of his walls and curtains.

There’s his bed, a desk, a bookshelf lined with boxes and a workout station in one corner though they don't appear to have been used much. You also spot a colourful collection of snapbacks on display, neatly lined up side by side on several shelves. You count them all and the total goes over thirty.

As you look around his room, Leon watches you as though he is waiting for your reaction. You head over to his desk where you see a desktop calendar with random dates circled and notes, and Leon makes his way up to you when you scrutinise it.

“That’s my schedule,” he says, as he scoops it up and hands it to you for a closer look.

“You’re booked out for the entire year,” you utter in awe as you flip through the pages and he nods.

Once again, you are subtly reminded of who exactly you're dealing with here. You're talking to _Leon, the Champion of Galar_. Not only that, but he has invited you for _dinner_. The gravity of it all makes you almost faint. Leon is...a celebrity. 

You go through the dates and what the events are. "Rose of the Rondelands Charity Gala Ball, Paediatric Visit, Soda Pop photoshoot, Soup Kitchen for the homeless… _Miss Galar Beauty Pageant_??”

Leon crosses his arms over his chest, nodding, “Yeah, I’m supposed to make a brief speech.”

You raise a brow at the thought of Leon being surrounded by smiling, beautiful girls in swimsuits. You didn’t realise his duties as Champion would extend to the Miss Galar Beauty Pageant too...

“I see,” is your reply, before you catch glimpse of his 'Official Fanmeet and Signing'. It's then you recall you have his poster and wonder if it would be possible to sign up...

"This is for you," Leon fishes out a flimsy small envelope from one of the drawers of his desk and hands it to you, "It's the ticket to my next match. Actually, it's an annual pass for Wyndon Stadium... so you can attend all my matches."

Your jaw drops. The Wyndon Stadium annual pass costs a five figure sum!! "You're kidding, right?"

"No, why would I be?"

He sounds a little puzzled and it occurs to you he took your words quite literally.

You accept the envelope with a wide grin and Leon's face grows red at the sight of your gratitude. "Thank you so much!!!" you gush at him.

"You're welcome," he says quietly.

And you put the envelope away safely and return the calendar over the desk. As you turn, your bag swings round and you accidentally knock a random snapback off. It’s a white cap with a black visor and the League’s symbol on it. It’s quite possibly an expensive collector’s item and you gasp.

You attempt to catch it before it drops to the floor, diving for it, and so does Leon, and suddenly he has grabbed your hands and you both completely miss the snapback, which lands on the floor.

The two of you simultaneously freeze at the same time.

His hands are so warm compared to yours, and you look at him and he looks at you before he quickly releases your hands. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” you croak as your fingers tingle all over from the unwarranted contact and your heart begins to pound. You quickly pluck the cap off the ground and you both move to stand. “H-here’s your hat.”

“Thanks,” Leon cradles it to himself gently, “This one is vintage. In fact, my collection are all vintage, limited or special editions. This one commemorates the fiftieth Galar Pokemon League gym challenge,” he says with a smile and as he glances at the hat in his grip, he reaches over and fixes the cap over your head and proceeds to fasten the strap behind your head, tugging on it securely.

You go still once more, swallowing down the lump in your throat.

He is standing so close to you. He doesn’t need to be, but he is. You can feel his breath on your cheeks, his hands skimming over the side of your face gently. You swerve your eyes up to him and as he looks at you at the same time, you quickly avert your gaze and he takes a step back once the hat is fastened properly. “It suits you.”

“I’m just missing your cape,” you blurt out.

“You’re right. Wait a second, I’ll go get it,” Leon replies and he heads to his wardrobe, opening it and pulling out the thick, red champion cape from within.

“Uh…” you pale slightly when you realise Leon had taken your words seriously again. With cape in hands, he proceeds to step behind you and carefully position it over your shoulders and tie it around you, and you realise there are also two unnoticeable clips on it that attaches itself onto the shoulders to prevent it from falling off.

“There we go. All done.” Leon says, and you’re astounded he’s letting you try it on.

“Oh, I…I feel weird,” you croak out as you attempt to twist your body left and right to see the cape; Leon is taller than you, so unfortunately the cape brushes against the floor and you attempt to bundle it up.

The beautiful fur that lines the cloak tickles your chin and the sides of your face and ears. Furthermore, you accidentally catch a heavy whiff of Leon’s scent all over and you blush.

Leon takes another step forwards and begins slipping his fingers underneath the cap and brushes some hair from the side of your face, tucking it behind your ear. He replaces the cap over your head once more and smiles. “You look really pretty today,” he murmurs.

“Um…..thanks.” you can’t help but blush furiously; he’s said it twice now. As you glance down at yourself, you grab a section of the cape and lift it up, hiding the lower half of your face with it. Leon laughs in response as you quirk a brow at him. “How do I look?”

“Not bad!”

“I could get used to this,” you say, “No wonder you wear it all the time.”

Next, you use your other hand to grab the other side of the cloak and lift your arms up in the air, the cape rising and Leon chuckles as you parade around the room.

“I should take this off now,” you say before you get carried away as usual.

“How did it feel to be Champion of Galar for five minutes?”

“Pretty good but the cloak is heavy," you reply, as you take a few steps and the cloak’s weight makes your shoulders feel hefty.

He grins and helps you remove the cloak, it brushes against the floor once more and as you hop backwards, you accidentally step on one corner just as he lifts it up and your eyes grow wide as the ground beneath you disappears; you lose your footing and begin to slip.

However, Leon’s quick to catch you by wrapping a thick and sturdy arm around your back but it doesn’t stop you from falling and he doesn’t abandon the cape; you fall flat on your back with a grunt and Leon topples over you, the cape spooling over him.

His weight causes your eyes to bulge and a few strands of his long hair catches in your mouth which makes you splutter. Muttering a long string of apologies, Leon scrabbles to get off you and the heel of his hand accidentally presses hard against your breast and his jaw drops in horror.

Before either of you can move, Hop suddenly pokes his head into room.

“The barbecue’s-“

Hop pauses, eyes widening at the sight of you lying on the ground with Leon on top and the cape covering your lower bodies and most importantly, his hand on your breast. Hop blurts out an apology for disturbing you but not before spinning on his heel in a one hundred and eighty degree turn and he rushes away, stampeding down the corridor.

“Hop!” You and Leon yell at the same time, before you gape at one another.

Next, you throw your gaze to where Leon is touching you and finally he lifts his hand off your chest, lifting himself off you in general and as he sits up, his hand is trembling, his face a thousand shades of red. He collects his cape into his arms and bundles it up.

“Arceus, what a mess!” he groans before he turns to you, “I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, Leon…” you croak out as he sticks his hand out; you accept his hand and he lifts you off the ground so you can sit up. One of the straps of your dress – and your bra – decides to fall off your shoulder and Leon accidentally catches a glimpse of your exposed shoulder and your bra strap and he looks away to bury his face into the soft material of his cape.

“ _Sorry_.” Is his muffled apology.

“It’s fine,” you wave your hand dismissively before you pull the straps over your shoulder and into the proper positions. “It was an accident. Is Hop gonna be okay though?”

Leon lowers the cape, then nods. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle this. Let’s go find him.”

You agree with a nod and you both get up to stand; Leon carefully hangs his cape in his closet and you both leave his room. Following the directions on the wall, you both make your way to the stairs and as you pass a random door, it is open and it’s then you see that Hop is inside, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

“Hop?” Leon says, and he looks up.

He has the white bag in his lap and when he sees you and Leon, his face visibly goes red. “I-I didn’t see anything!!!”

“It’s fine, Hop, it was just an accident,” you say as you step into his room. “I fell after slipping on your brother’s cloak and he tried to help me, but unfortunately he ended up falling on top of me too and his hand-”

Hop’s eyes grows to the size of saucers.

“Um…” Leon steps in before you can finish, “Maybe I should…”

“Oh right, yes, please do…”

Leon moves to sit down beside his little brother, sitting cross-legged over the carpet and places a hand on his shoulder. “Hop.”

“Yeah, Lee?”

Leon takes a deep breath then says, “I know it’s not yet time for you to have that talk with mum about the Pidgeys and the Beedrills, but I wanted to let you know that what you saw in the room, I wasn’t the Beedrill and she wasn’t the Pidgey. It was just an accident.”

Leon goes on and on and you’re left standing, wondering what he is on about.

“Hey Lee?”

“Yes, Hop?”

“I get it.”

“Oh, you do? That’s good.” Leon pats Hop on the shoulder; the younger brother grins at Leon, then turns to you with a somewhat sly grin.

“Whatever you say, Lee,” Hop adds, grin broadening, and you don’t think Hop is as innocent as he seems. “Can I open my gift now?” he adds excitedly.

“Sure, go ahead,” Leon replies with a smile.

Hop proceeds to open the bag with an ecstatic whoop of glee and unties your bag, sticking his hand in and once he’s grabbed the doll, he pulls it out. There is a silence when he lifts it up in the air.

It’s the ragdoll.

“What the-?!?” you squawk, whilst Hop and Leon blink blankly at the hideous toy, before they turn to you questioningly. “Arceus, I’m so sorry…Hop, there was meant to be a Wooloo plush but-"

When the ragdoll squirms under Hop’s grip, he drops it in alarm.

“I-it just moved by itself!!” Hop exclaims and the two brothers are quick to jump onto their feet with Leon immediately ushering his little brother behind him.

Before anyone can make a move or speak, the doll twitches fiercely on the floor of the bedroom and you, Hop and Leon exchange wide-eyed looks before the doll twitches on the spot, its stuffed body convulsing rigorously and finally, the ragdoll inches off the ground and sits up.

“ _Mi…..me….me kill you_ ….” A distorted voice emits from within.

Hop yelps with panic and you immediately call for Gengar whilst Leon steers his brother away from the doll as far as possible.

When Gengar manifests from the corner of the room, he spots the doll and you command, “Dark Pulse!”

Gengar aims a beam of dark energy at it and the attack smacks into the doll; it soars into the air once again and one of its stitches comes loose on the little doll’s face as it flops to the floor.

“ _Kkkccchhhkkk_ ….” the noise akin to nails scratching on a chalkboard returns and the doll struggles to sit up as one of its button eyes pop off, its head flopping to one side limply, revealing a pair of glowing dots underneath the worn out fabric. “ _Kcchkkkk_ ….!”

“Look out!” Leon yells, as the doll's head snaps back onto its normal position and a shadowy appendage bursts out from the gap between the torn stitches, aimed at your direction.

You gasp but Gengar jumps in front of you and the claw slams into his body. Gengar goes reeling from the impact and finally, Charizard comes bumbling into the room.

“Charizard, ember!” Leon is quick to instruct, pointing at the doll of terror.

Two long shadowy claws have emerged from the ragdoll's body, rising high in the air as it takes tiny steps one foot at a time towards your group, and Charizard stares at the minuscule adversary in confusion for a split second or so before he coughs out a weak ball of fire the size of a golfball from the back of his throat which immediately catches onto the doll’s yarn hair.

The doll stops at once, the two glowing dots blinking numbly.

“Mi??” a voice from within squeaks, before it senses the flames on it's yarn hair and leaps an inch into the air with fright. “Mi mi!!!”

The doll begins running around frantically in the room, its hair on fire.

“Mi!! Mi mi mi _mikyuu_!!”

You and Leon gawk at each other whilst Hop blinks wide-eyed at the spectacle, before everyone bursts into laughter.

As the doll runs around the bedroom helplessly, you walk over and begin stamping on its head with your foot to clear the flames and you hear the doll squealing and squeaking in agony until the fire goes out and it flops over the floor, it’s hair fizzing with smoke.

You’re amazed the fire alarm hasn’t been triggered and when you and Leon look at each other again, you let out a chortle under your breath.

“Go ahead.” Leon says, crossing his arms and you pull out an empty Dusk ball from your pouch, tossing it at the pokemon and it is sucked inside. The capsule shakes a few times before the light goes off, indicating its capture.

You pick up the black and green coloured capsule and sigh whilst Leon checks if Hop is okay. “Sorry, Leon. Sorry, Hop.”

“What do you mean??!!!” Hop exclaims with a wide grin, clenching his fists tightly, “That was soooo awesome!”

You raise a brow until you hear Leon's mum downstairs, informing everyone that the barbecue is ready. Leon gives you a wide smile as Hop makes a beeline out of his room. 

"C'mon, let's race! Last one down is a rotten Exeggcute!" 

Leon turns to you and grins, "Let's go," he says, motioning for you to follow and you nod, trailing after him into the corridor. 

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Robert the doll is worse than Annabelle apparently. 
> 
> 2\. The Mimikyu ragdoll is inspired by the ragdolls in the Coraline movie, its like this greyish weird looking thing. I laughed way more than I should've when writing this chapter tbh.


	9. Leon in Love?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dinner continues, some of your mysterious background is revealed and Leon invites you on a magic Charizard ride to show you a whole new world, a new fantastic point of view. 
> 
> (Jk, he just takes you to the Slumbering Weald)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 19.09.2020

** Leon in Love? **

…

…

[Headline from _The Kalos Telegraph_ :

"Mystery of the Laverre Town Disappearances."  
Police are appealing after two individuals were reported missing from an address in Laverre Town.  
A well-known Pokemon Researcher and his five year old daughter has vanished under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind his wife and eldest daughter.  
Inspector Chris Graves has said: “If anybody sees these two individuals or knows where they are I would ask that they call police immediately."]

…

…

With the Mimikyu safely captured, you explain to Leon and Hop that you had a client from this morning who complained of a haunted doll and left it with you; the doll itself must have switched with the Wooloo plush which you believe should be still at home. You apologise profusely but they tell you everything is all under the bridge and as long as Hop isn't hurt, everything is fine and dandy.

You're left to keep Mimikyu for yourself because Leon doesn’t seem to want the killer doll anywhere near his little brother so you will deal with it later and you will need to give Hop the actual Wooloo plush...

The evening progresses and you go downstairs with Hop, Leon, Charizard and Gengar, making your way into the yard where a strong and smoky smell wafts in the atmosphere and the grill is sizzling loudly, huge puffs of smoke billowing in the air.

Leon’s mum stands with a pair of tongs in hands and an apron that says ‘License to Grill’, flipping chicken wings and ribs over the griddle whilst the grandparents are setting up the table. Hop immediately heads over to assist whilst Charizard and Gengar make their way to the garden where Wooloo is, lounging near the garage. It looks like Charizard is showing Gengar around.

You and Leon head to the table; there are plenty of dishes ranging from potato salad, pasta salad, assorted fruit, guacamole and tortilla chips. Hop helps himself to some chips along the way and immediately his grandpa barks at him but Hop chuckles and grabs another before he scampers away to the kitchen with Wooloo at his heels.

He returns with two large pitchers of orange juice and water. Leon goes to help and whilst you attempt to trail after them, everyone tells you that you are their guest so Leon pulls out an empty chair for you and you thank him, his face growing red as you neatly sit down on the chair.

You watch as he goes to help Hop, his mum and his grandparents, observing their dynamic and think about your own family.

The thought makes you sigh gently and your smile vanishes and you slide your forlorn gaze to the ground which Leon notices as he emerges from the kitchen.

Whilst Hop sits between the grandparents, Leon goes to help his mother again though he does occasionally throw you concerned glances every now and then but now you are engrossed with watching the pokemon; Gengar and Charizard are basking under the sun on the mini battle court whilst Purrloin and Wooloo chase each other playfully. You watch as Purrloin crouches on her front paws with her hindquarters in the air, shaking her tail before she pounces on the little sheep playfully.

And when Leon sees you smiling at the pokemon, he smiles too.

Eventually, Leon’s mum waltzes towards the table with a large platter full of barbecued ribs, sweetcorn, a few sirloin steaks and the wings and moves to sit at the very head of the table whilst Leon seats himself beside you. It’s a small, cosy table and your arms brush against each other. The close proximity has your heart thumping hard again.

“Help yourselves!” Leon’s mum exclaims and you glance at all the food available, unsure where to begin.

“Don’t mind if I do!” Hop belts out joyfully as he grabs a knife and fork, “Thanks, mum!”

“Yes, you’ve truly outdone yourself this time,” says grandmother, and Leon’s mum snorts under her breath and rolls her eyes.

“Thanks, mum, this looks great,” Leon says.

Now it's your turn to show your gratitude. “Thank you, Mrs-“

“Please, you can call me ‘ _mum_ ’,” says Leon’s mother with a smile aimed at you, and you blush and nod.

Everyone begins to pile up food on their plates; Leon’s mum helps Hop and the grandparents tuck into their bland oatmeal but scoop the occasional guac whilst you glance around the table inquisitively, wondering what to try first. Everything looks delicious.

“I’ll help you,” Leon says, as he grabs a spare tong, “What would you like?”

“I’d like some chicken wings and some of the steak. Maybe some of the guac, too.”

“Excellent choice, my dear,” says grandmother, winking at you.

Leon begins grabbing the food off the platter and sliding them onto your plate as cleanly as possible. He unexpectedly gets some sauce on his fingers which he licks off. You cannot help your staring, but he does not notice. Holy crap, does Leon have a secret kinky side to him after all?

“Thank you, Leon,” you say with a weak smile, trying not to be _too_ affected by how his lips enclose over his fingertips.

“No problem. Try some of the Vespiqueen Honey on the wings,” Leon passes you a bottle of squeezy honey and pulls the lid off, handing it to you which you hold upside down; you drizzle some of the orangey-gold gooey goodness over your pile of wings.

“That looks good.”

“Try it with ribs next.”

“Okay.”

As though oblivious to the rest of the people sitting at the table, Leon’s mother and the grandparents watch your interaction with amused expressions before they exchange wide grins at each other. 

“You’re the first girl our Leo has brought home. You must have made quite the impression on him,” grandma says all of a sudden, chuckling under her breath.

“Grandma….” Leon mumbles, and he chooses to take a big sip of his sparkling water whilst Hop merely beams at grandma and they both exchange a high five.

The conversation continues, with Leon’s mother mentioning how you saved Leon and how indebted she is to you but you tell her she doesn’t need to repay you in any way. Then they ask you how you and Leon met. Leon’s face goes pink and you suppose he’s thinking about how he bumped into you half-naked in the middle of the forest somewhere in the Rolling Fields at night but then you recall you had actually met him earlier.

“We sat beside each other on the train to the Meetup Spot,” you say.

“We did?” Leon looks confused.

“Yeah, I think you were sleeping though so you didn’t notice but I saw you at the station. You ran past me.”

“Oh.” 

"Then we met again in the Rolling Fields."

"My dear, do you know what this means?" gran says, leaning forwards in her seat, _"It's fate_."

Whilst Hop chews noisily on his food, glancing between you and his brother, Leon’s mum and the gran exchange more all-knowing looks coupled with some eyebrow raising and it’s rather obvious that they are quite possibly up to something and they ask how you found him in the Pokemon Den but Leon steps in, telling them that you rode on Charizard who went to look for you when he went missing.

“Lee, didn’t you say that if Charizard lets a girl-" Hop begins, but Leon shakes his head immediately and Hop pauses in his sentence, eyes wide, “Oh, uh…Never mind!”

“What?” you ask, only for the brothers to grin widely at you. They resemble each other when they smile, it’s rather adorable…

Grandma says, “And what do you work as, dear?”

“I’m a Pokemon researcher, specialising in ghost-types.”

”That sounds grand. You must get to see so many interesting Pokemon.”

”I certainly do. I also deal with a lot of hauntings. Did you know there are several types of hauntings? There’s residual, intelligent and poltergeist,” you say. Now that ghosts have been brought up you can’t seem to stop. “Residual hauntings are described as a video playing over and over again at random times. It’s believed to be trapped energy or an imprint because something traumatic happened at that location and thus it is bound. It’s not considered an intelligent haunting which I’m going to go onto next, but it’s widely believed that something can trigger it to occur such as day or time.”

”Now, an _intelligent haunting_ ,” you continue, oblivious to your audience and if they are actually listening, “is associated with a consciousness. For example, the consciousness of a dead person and therefore it’s the most common type of haunting which investigators like myself would look into and it’s a lot more common than one would think.”

”And a poltergeist haunting,” you’re still outlining as you busily cut into your steak, “people are under the impression that they are malevolent ghosts, usually demons, and they’re very violent, throwing things around and attacking people and-“

You finally stop when you realise Leon’s family are staring at you with incredulous expressions and even Leon himself, is watching you mutely.

There is a brief silence as your cheeks go red with embarrassment.

”Ah........ sorry, I got carried away. Ahem.”

Leon’s mum breaks the silence, laughing awkwardly but you feel the atmosphere of the table has become severely gloomy all of a sudden...and it's all because of you and your talk of ghosts. “That’s all very interesting, my dear. Do take care of yourself. And what do your parents do?” she asks.

“They’re ghost-type Pokemon researchers too."

“And where are they right now?”

You hesitate to answer and all eyes land on you. “…They’re...they’re uh…” you struggle to reply, clinching your fork tightly. Leon notices as your expression gradually grows more and more uncomfortable. “It’s hard to explain.”

Leon’s mum asks, “How so?”

“Mum,” Leon says, and she gasps.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“No, no, it’s okay,” you say quickly, “They went missing."

"Missing??" 

You nod and suddenly, the table goes quiet. You’ve never told Leon this either so he glances at you in surprise as you stare at your plate of uneaten food. Suddenly, you have lost your appetite even though you were hungry earlier.

It continues to be quiet and awkward around the table as Leon’s family throws each other discomfiting glances, knowing that they've put you in an awkward position.

However, you clear your throat and flash a reassuring smile at everyone, cutting into your steak as delicately as possible. “It was a while ago. I haven't stopped looking for them since," you reply.

“My dear, I am so sorry,” Leon’s grandmother reaches over and squeezes on your hand, “Is there anything we can do?”

You shake your head.

The conversation gravitates away from you and you inwardly breathe a sigh of relief. You haven’t been on the spotlight for such a long time that it was fairly intolerable. Leon begins to peek at you at random intervals; he's hoping to be subtle but you can tell when someone is staring at you, and as the dinner continues, you don’t look at him nor does he say anything to you and vice versa.

The barbecue is over and all the leftover food, dirty plates and cutlery are carried into the kitchen to be washed.

You volunteer to clean up but Leon’s family assure you once again that you are a guest and they want you to spend more time with the champion. You are left on your own devices but when you are about to pass the kitchen, you accidentally overhear Leon's mum inside.

" _Is she okay?_ " Leon's mum asks, " _She has sad eyes_."

Sad eyes? You have.... _sad_ eyes?? You weren't aware, and you tiptoe away from the kitchen and back into the yard to ponder how on earth to get happier-looking eyes. Maybe you should smile more? Arceus, you have no idea...

You return to the outdoor table and Leon emerges from the house and to the yard, snapping you out of your miserable thoughts when he tells you he has something to show you so you head back into the house and retreat upstairs.

He takes you to the top level and into the hallway where he jumps an inch or so off the ground and grabs a little string that is dangling off the ceiling and tugs on it; it is looped to a square hatch on the ceiling and he pulls it down, revealing a rope ladder that will take you to the rooftop.

Leon climbs up first which you are grateful for considering you are wearing a dress, and when you are at the top rung, he gives you his hand and you slink your little palm into his and he hoists you up onto the roof. There are several pairs of flip-flops the family uses whilst walking around the roof, and Leon hands you a pair which you slip over your feet whilst he slips on a pair of his own.

"How's your hand?" he asks.

"It's healing, so all good," you mutter, and you can’t help but notice that your hands fit well together, though his palm is considerably larger, your fingers curl together neatly, his thumb sweeping over your knuckles.

When you unintentionally give him a squeeze, you’re surprised to feel that he squeezes your hand back. His palm is a little sweaty however, and you wonder if he’s held hands with a girl before.

Leon carefully makes his way around the roof, holding your hand along the way. You’re suddenly aware of how high you are as you tread over the bumpy, uneven surface; you briefly peer over the ledge, you see Charizard below with Gengar, who are vigilant in case either of you should lose balance and fall.

Although it’s dark outside now, you can see that Leon’s cheeks are fairly pink as he leads you over to a clean spot.

He finally releases your hand to sit down and you join him, settling yourself carefully and tucking your dress underneath as neatly as possible. The rooftops grants a beautiful view of Postwick and Wedgehurst as you sit side-by-side; you can see various Wooloo and Dubwools in the fields being herded into barns by farmers for the night. Their white wool makes them stick out like sore thumbs in the darkness.

The air has grown extremely chilly now and your dress isn’t helping you here so Leon quickly pulls off his sweater to loop the thick fabric around your shoulders and over your back. As you thank him, this thoroughly reminds you of the time when you watched the sunrise together.

You and Leon stare over the horizon; a blanket of darkness sweeps the sky, illuminated by the stars and the lush full moon. Down below and you see rows and rows of little lights emitting from the windows of the cottages that are spread out. You can also see Wedgehurst train station whose clock face is lit up with a tawny glow. It’s incredibly serene and tranquil here and you sigh under your breath.

”Leon?”

”Yeah?”

”Am I a kook?”

He immediately emits a loud laugh at your question. “No!”

”But... when we were having dinner...”

”You’re passionate about your work which we can see, and I admire that. Don’t forget that I’ve seen you work, remember? There are things out there that can’t be explained and you’re the only one who’s dedicating their time and energy and effort to look into it. No one is as brave as you are.”

Your lip wobbles furiously at his words. “Thank you, Leon. For a second there, I...I doubted myself, believing I am not normal. I’m far from it."

Leon offers you a reassuring smile. “If the Champion of Galar thinks you’re wonderful and perfectly normal and fine the way you are, then you are.”

Your face grows red in response as he shifts his gaze to the night sky.

Leon thinks you are wonderful and perfectly normal...

...and fine just the way you are.

Your heart begins to thump hard as you thank him whilst emitting a meek sniff.

“I'm sorry about earlier,” Leon suddenly mutters, “I hope you didn’t feel pressurised.”

“It’s fine, it’s normal that people get curious whenever it’s to do with my family, and I haven’t spoken about them for a while.” you reply, sighing, “And it didn't happen at the same time by the way."

As you focus your gaze to the starry sky above you and pull your knees to your chest, Leon watches you worriedly; he copies your movement, lifting his knees to his chest too.

"It was my father and Rosie first, then my mum disappeared a few months later."

Leon senses your discomfort and says, “What can I do to help? I can speak to the Chairman, we can do a television broadcast, radio or-"

You respond with a weak smile, shaking your head. "None of those are going to work, Leon."

He looks confused. "Why not?"

"A lot of people think they're dead so they refuse to help me but I don't believe them and so I've been working hard to get them back since I moved to Galar, and I'm doing everything I can. I'll get them back myself. Only I can do it."

Noticing your saddened expression, Leon isn’t sure what else he can say to ease the situation nor does he know if it’s wise to press you further on this matter. Therefore he slowly moves to slide his hand over yours, grasping your fingers tightly.

You glance at his hand over yours in surprise and he takes a deep breath before he says, "I have an idea. I know what will cheer you up.”

“What?”

“A ride over the Slumbering Weald,” Leon says, before he lets go of you to stand and takes a small step towards the edge of the roof.

“Leon, be careful.”

He turns to you with a grin, “I’ll be fine -- hey Charizard, you there, buddy?”

A few seconds later, Charizard appears before him in the air. He greets you two with a snort, air puffing from his nostrils before he lands in front on an empty spot over the roof, his claws crunching under the hard tiles and he folds his wings, throwing his gaze to the two of you.

With a grin, Leon climbs on Charizard’s awaiting back and holds his hand out to you. “C’mon.”

You tug your spare bobble off your wrist to tie your hair into a tight ponytail before standing up and carefully making your way until Charizard reaches for you and bites on the hem of your dress, pulling you forwards.

“Alright, alright…” you utter, wondering what he is so impatient about but it seems he wants you to be as close to Leon as possible.

The champion grins haplessly at his friend and you slip your hand into his; you assumed you’d sit behind him but Leon suggests you sit in _front_ of him and you do so anxiously, swinging one leg over Charizard’s back and with Leon’s help, you’re quickly seated comfortably over the flame pokemon.

“Comfy?” Leon asks, and you nod. “Okay, let’s go.”

He proceeds to inch even closer to you than possible as he lean forwards and levies his weight gently over your back and shoulder, you have no choice but to lower yourself to a somewhat forty five degree angle so he can reach and grab onto Charizard firmly, caging you within his arms securely at the same time.

“Oh my…” you croak out, as Leon settles himself behind you, his chin almost touching your shoulder.

Heat rushes to your cheeks as his sturdy chest presses smoothly against your back and you feel the light, feathery brush of his lips by your ear; your heart begins to thump frantically and you gulp the growing lump in your throat.

“What’s the matter?” he asks; you hope he doesn't notice.

“Nothing. So uh, how many miles per hour can Charizard reach?”

“Over a hundred or so, but we’re gonna go nice and slow today, won’t we, buddy?”

Charizard snorts and rolls his eyes again as Leon pats his neck and the flame pokemon takes off from the rooftop with a kick of his hind legs and soars into the air.

“To the Slumbering Weald, Charizard!” Leon exclaims, pointing to a massive cluster of misty, foggy trees in the distance.

Charizard has allowed you to ride on his back before but it’s worse with Leon seated closely behind you and speaking so smoothly in your ear. It’s a nerve-wracking and tense ride and as the pokemon picks up speed and zooms towards the direction of the woods, Charizard deliberately flies into a thick batch of clouds and you squeeze your eyes shut as the wisps smack you in the face. When Charizard emerges, you cough and splutter from the moisture of the cloud.

Charizard is purposefully making the flight bumpy and so you cling on for dear life; as you're jostled for the third or fourth time, which forces an anxious squeak from your lungs and Leon's chest to press further over your back as he ensures you're fine; then he carefully slips one arm around the front of your waist to prevent you from slipping or losing grip, sending uncontrollable tingles to shoot down your spine. This is either the ride of heaven, or hell.

Soon, the pokemon settles for a smooth and slower pace so your gut can unclench. Leon notices your calmer disposition and grins. “Not used to flying, are you?”

“N-not really,” you choke out, when you realise he is unfazed.

You have to admit you prefer the Corviknight taxi over this. There is less turbulence, that's for certain.

And as you gradually relax, your fingers don't cling onto the Pokemon's leathery skin so tightly and Leon's arm loosens in grip, though you were getting a little used to having his arm around you. His warmth was so welcoming and made you snug, and now you're slowly becoming cold. 

Whilst you wonder how long the ride will take, the Slumbering Weald looms into view; a misty and muggy fog hangs over the bizarre forest and down below, you can see Galarian Weezing and Munna lurking in the dark grass.

Charizard glances around for a suitable spot to land and when a large but broken stone arch and an altar surrounded by water appears in the horizon, he begins to descend and lands within the spring, nestling himself carefully over the ground; Leon slides off Charizard’s back and scoops you off, sliding his arms around your waist.

“Thanks,” you murmur as he helps you onto the ground.

“No problem. How was the flight?”

“All good," you say meekly with a thumbs up, though you're really wanting to suppress the urge to hurl.

Leon grins and pats Charizard warmly, “Thanks bud.”

Charizard growls loudly with affection as the two of you glance around your new surroundings.

Strangely enough, the temperature here is warmer than Postwick and although you most certainly are alone here, the woods feel _alive_.

The stone arch stands proudly before you with a glistening stream of water to your left, the altar itself is illuminated by a beam of moonlight that shines between the leaves of the thick trees that surround it. Despite the beautiful scenery, the quietness of the woods perturbs you.

“Look,” Leon says, and you follow to where he is pointing to.

Glittering pearls of multi-coloured light float gently in the atmosphere within the middle of the altar and you head over to inspect; you use your fingertip to prod at some of the lights and there is a faint chiming sound as it disappears once your fingertips make contact, vanishing into mist.

“I know what this is…It’s a fairy light…” you mutter, peering at the little lights curiously before you cup some in your palm and return to his side.

“Fairy light?” Leon utters, as you open your palm and blow gently, the light sprinkling over his face and hair. He looks up and around as it gets caught in his bangs and you giggle lightly.

“Yeah…they're very similar to a will o’wisp and they're identical to the lights emitted by Morelull. You can see a lot more in Ballonlea and in higher concentrations…” you say as you raise your arm, hold your hand out and more lights settle into your palm, “If you follow a trail, it’s supposed to lead to the fairy folk of Galar.”

Leon looks intrigued as you continue your ramblings, oblivious.

“The fairy folk steal children away, never to be seen again. Sometimes it’s out of malice, to punish neglectful parents… but in the end, what they do with the children, nobody knows. It’s a shame I don’t come here often because there’s so much interesting myth, though unfortunately not ghost-related.”

Holding your hand out again, the little lights settle in the base of your palm once more and you gently blow them away, sending an array of glittering lights into the air. You smile widely as the shimmering lights dance around you, the twinkling lights casting a warm glow on your face.

“It’s so beautiful here,” you murmur as the lights gently float in the air, bobbing around in hypnotic fashion.

“Yeah…” he breathes out.

When you turn round, you see his eyes are glued to your form and you tense on the spot; anxiety sweeps over you upon realisation that you’re completely bathed in the light and thus you hurriedly step away.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to ramble about fairies stealing children away. Just make sure Hop doesn’t come here on his own, or he might come back but it’s not really him, it’s actually a changeling and-” you promptly stop yourself in time, mentally kicking yourself. “Sorry.”

Leon chuckles loudly in response and your face grows warm as you nervously place your hands behind your back whilst Leon crosses his arms. “I can take you here again tomorrow when it’s daylight if you’d like,” he replies.

You purse your lips. “I’ll be asleep, most likely.”

“Oh.” he sounds disappointed.

“Thanks for bringing me here though. I feel better now.”

The look of disappointment vanishes from his handsome face, replaced with a grin. “Of course! Anytime.”

When your smile broadens, his grin widens too and you are both gazing at each other wordlessly; his eyes search your face for a few seconds or so until you realise that you’re staring and you hastily break off the eye contact, swerving your gaze to the side where you see more of the little pearly light surrounding you.

“Oh, uh, I have something to show you,” Leon adds, before he fumbles through his pockets and brings out two capsules, “Come on out, guys!”

Tossing them into the air, you stare as an Aegislash and a Dragapult emerge and Leon beams at his pokemon as they immediately head over to him, greeting him affectionately. Leon gives Dragapult a hefty pat on his head and smiles warmly at Aegislash.

“I have some ghost-type pokemon on my team,” Leon says, “I thought you’d like to meet them.”

You blink blankly before a massive grin appears on your face. You’ve never seen such wondrous critters in person, and so close, too! “I didn’t know you had an Aegislash and a Dragapult, Leon.”

Leon chuckles bashfully at your enthusiasm, then introduces you to the pokemon and they float over to your side curiously; Dragapult sniffs you and the two Dreepy’s it carries in it’s horns float out and peer at you enquiringly before they decide to slink around your arms and shoulders, making you giggle as they weave in and out of your hair and over your neck and cheeks.

Aegislash offers you his lilac ribbon which you are about to touch until Leon quickly grabs your hand albeit gently.

“Be careful….he might drain some of your life force,” he warns.

“Oh, that’s okay, I don't mind, it would be good for an experiment,” you reply, as he slowly releases you, “Leon, this is amazing. Aegislash are known to stay loyal to people who have qualities of a true leader. They’re also featured in historical paintings depicting _kings_.”

Leon’s face grows red as he contemplates your words, “…I’ve had him since he was a Honedge…”

He’s being modest again, which makes you smile and Leon responds with a wide grin of his own.

Aegislash proceeds to circle you inquisitively whilst Dragapult slinks around and tickles the tip of your nose with his transparent tail.

“Thanks for showing me your pokemon, Leon. I can tell they’re very well-cared for.”

Leon flashes you a gentle smile. “Thank you.”

As you return his smile, Leon holds your gaze once more and you’re both staring at each other until Charizard snaps the both of you out by emitting a loud huff, indicating that it’s time to leave which relieves you of this strict tension you have constantly experienced between yourself and the Champion.

“It’s getting late. We should head back,” Leon says, and you nod.

After he recalls his pokemon, the two of you hop onto his back once more and you leave the vicinity of the woods.

Charizard carries the two of you safely back to the front door of his house. Checking your wristwatch, you decide to head home. The pokemon allows you to hop off his back and Leon helps you, holding your hand tightly in his once again. You briefly enter the house to say goodbye to his family and to pick up your belongings before Leon escorts you outside.

“I had a great time,” you say as Gengar greets you before jumping into your shadow, hitching a ride. “I wish we could do this more often. It’s a shame you’re booked out for the rest of the year.”

Leon hesitates before he replies with a rather despondent, “Me too.”

“Well, uh…I better go now. Thanks again for having me over. Goodnight.”

“Wait. I’ll walk you,” he says quickly before you can leave the doorstep and you glance at him questioningly as he quickly grabs a hooded jacket off the coat rack and throws it on, then he steps out of his house and shuts the door quietly behind him. Leon recalls Charizard and rushes up to you with his hands in his pockets, grinning.

You give him an awkward smile and you begin the walk; he stays close to you, much like how he did in the hospital despite the ample space of the empty path, your shoulders bumping together.

Once you reach your house, the lights are on and you stop at the front door and slowly turn to him only for you to almost bump into his chest. He’s standing so close to you...

“Thanks for walking me back,” you squeak out, and he takes a step backwards as though aware of your close proximity.

“No problem.”

”Will you make your way back okay?”

”Yeah, Charizard will help.”

“Oh, cool. So I’ll see you again…someday?”

“Yeah,” he murmurs, before he reaches for your bandaged hand and you stiffen when he clutches your palm firmly with his, curling his fingers tightly around yours before he brings your entwined hands to his chest.

“…Leon?” you breathe out, eyes wide.

“Charizard told me what happened. I won’t forget what you did for me,” he says softly, and you hold your breath. “I wanted to ask if…you would like to see the sunrise with me again?”

Your breath becomes stuck in your throat but you manage to croak out, “Tonight?”

He’s still holding your hand, which he grips with far more pressure than before, “Ah, um…not tonight, but some other day.”

“Oh…sure, I’d love to.”

He seems delighted with your response. “Thanks. I better go back now. Goodnight.”

“G-goodnight.”

With a huge grin, Leon releases your hand and proceeds to rush off, dashing down the path until he is out of sight. You open the door clumsily and stumble into the house, your heart racing as you remove your coat and hang it on the hook.

“Hey, you’re back! How was it?”

Looking up, you see Sonia at the stairs, holding Yamper under one arm.

“It was good,” you reply, and you outline the details briefly albeit skipping the part about Leon falling on top of you and your short trip with him to the Slumbering Weald. Overall, you had fun and you can’t stop smiling, which she notices of course.

She giggles and retreats upstairs whilst you head up to shower and get changed into your nightwear; you also decide to slap on a cucumber mask too because your skin's looking rather pasty and dull. Returning to the living room, you see Gengar lounging around with Poltea and Cutie and you remember you had captured Mimikyu.

With Mimikyu’s capsule in hand, you let it out and Mimikyu emerges; its two little glowing eyes blink up at you and your pokemon (Gengar in particular), before it dashes behind the coffee table to hide.

You watch as Poltea and Cutie head over and they briefly communicate with it, coaxing it out of its hiding place. It’s still using that hideous doll disguise and you carefully step forwards; once you spy it hiding behind one of the table legs, it starts hissing threateningly at you.

“Hey Mimikyu," you murmur in a gentle voice as you crouch before the small pokemon yet it continues hissing, the twinkling dots underneath the ruined fabric glowing brightly with apprehension. “I’m sorry we ruined your hair and costume. How about I make you a new one?”

It ceases to hiss at you and blinks. “…Mi mi?”

You nod with a smile, “Of course.”

Lowering your arm, it takes a small step forwards and then hops onto your elbow where it’s as light as a feather and you look at it and it looks at you before you smile; though it lets out an indignant huff under its breath, you carry it out of the lounge and into the bedroom, opening the door where you see Sonia at her vanity table, brushing her hair until she spots the ragdoll and shrieks.

“W-what is that?!”

“It’s a Mimikyu,” you say with a wide grin, “I’m going to make it a new costume. Can I borrow your sewing kit?”

“Sure…” Sonia watches with widened eyes as you head over to your cupboard and pull out a drawer where you keep some old clothes you can depart with.

“What do you think?” you ask.

“Hmm…Mi mi mi,” it says with content, nodding.

“Go crazy,” you reply, and Mimikyu glances at each of the shirts curiously.

“Mi mi,” it replies, before its stitch mouth splits apart to unleash a long and black, shadowy tendril and making it point to a grey shirt. Sonia stares at this appendage as she inches her sewing kit towards your direction.

“This one?” you say.

“Mi,” it replies, nodding.

“Don’t you want to look like Pikachu?”

It shakes its head. “Mi. Mi mi mimikyuuu.”

“You prefer your ragdoll disguise?”

“Mi,” it confirms with a stern nod.

“Got it,” you take out the grey shirt and thank Sonia for letting you borrow her sewing kit, then Mimikyu spots your scissors, along with a ball of black yarn near your stationary tub and grabs those using two shadowy tendrils and you both make your way downstairs.

Seating yourself on the lounge, you let Mimikyu hop off and sit beside you on the couch before you switch on the TV with your feet up. Mimikyu takes the fabric off you with several shadowy tendrils along with the scissors and begins snipping away, singing to itself in various octaves.

As Mimikyu hands you the trimmed fabric, you look at the expert handiwork. Mimikyu must be used to fixing its costume, and you open the sewing kit and take out some grey thread and a needle and begin sewing the fabric together. Occasionally, it will help you by using a shadow tendril to hold the fabric in place whilst you sew together a finicky part.

You sporadically throw glances to see how Mimikyu is doing before you recall that no-one has ever seen what Mimikyu looks like underneath its disguise. One scientist even died from shock, apparently.

Therefore you slowly reach a hand and pinch one small corner of the ragdoll body with your fingers and attempt to look inside only for Mimikyu to slap your hand away in the span of a split second with a shadowy tendril.

“Ow!” you retreat your hand and cradle it to your chest as Mimikyu wags one clawed finger at you in a chiding manner. “Sorry…I won’t do that again."

"Mi!"

"Yes, I know I could've died."

Suddenly, the phone rings and Rotom flies over to you. “Leon izzz calling!” he exclaims gleefully and you sit up properly in your seat.

“Leon???” you utter in surprise and Rotom nods as he switches to video mode and you see Leon on screen, grinning at you.

He’s in his nightwear consisting of a white t-shirt and black joggers and when he gets a look at you in your nightclothes and cucumber mask, the grin widens.

“H-hi Leon.”

“ _Hey!_ ” he greets you cheerfully, “ _Sorry to call you so late, but Citizen Kangaskhan is on TV_. _Would you like to watch it together?_ ”

“Really?” you exclaim, whilst Mimikyu continues singing to itself.

“ _Yeah, it’s – oh, is that…?_ ”

“Yeah, it’s Mimikyu. I’m helping her make a new costume,” you say with a smile as you glance at the pokemon and Rotom hovers to Mimikyu who looks up.

“ _Hi Mimikyu!_ ”

“Mi… _me hello_.”

You feel numerous chills run down your spine, “Bloody hell, Mimikyu, I forgot you could speak some of the human language. I'll need to study you later if you don't mind."

“Mi…heehee," Mimikyu replies happily and Leon chuckles.

“What channel is it on?”

“ _Sixty two_.”

“Alright, let’s watch together,” you grab the remote control and change it to the channel and indeed, Citizen Kangaskhan is playing. You get comfortable as your Rotom settles beside you on the empty seat of the couch.

Together, you watch the movie, with you and Mimikyu sewing the new costume whilst sitting together in the safety of your house, and Leon in his own.

...


	10. Tentacools in the Ocean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new client is in the making. Jace fixes your radio and gets a nasty surprise, Leon becomes confused and you become confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 24.09.2020

** Tentacools in the Ocean **

_ (but None of Them are You) _

…

…

["If there's something strange  
in the neighbourhood  
who ya gonna call?"]

…

…

It's night-time, and Horace the security guard is making rounds within the depths of Rose's Art Gallery in Wyndon.

The art gallery is not officially open yet; it is a brand new building with many exhibits and displays and the grand unveiling is due to open in a few week's time and many jobs were created thanks to this. Owned by Rose, it houses many ancient and wondrous antiques which his family had gathered for generations. They are finally put on display and will be available to the public after the Macro Cosmos marketing department discovered it could generate further profit considering people were willing to pay to look at old relics of Galar.

He whistles a jovial tune to himself as he patrols the empty halls with his torch shining on the floor, thinking about the TV show he watched yesterday and what he should eat when he returns home. He has a long night ahead of him but he's already into the new job for a week or so and it's been peaceful and quiet.

And it's a regular night as he follows the same route he takes, turning left to exit the butterfly gallery and into the conjoined, long stretch of the hallway where the benches are and that's when the silence and peace is shattered.

A loud banging noise can be heard a short distance away, and Horace pauses to listen but it is not the sound of the plumbing system or whatever noises buildings emits for Horace has a long career of being a security guard in buildings old and new and he knows what is right and what is wrong.

And this is _wrong_. It comes in twos or threes, and often it comes at random intervals. Perhaps there is someone else in here, he thinks, perhaps a group of rambunctious kids and should he catch them they will be in for a right scolding for there should not be anyone here at all, not at this ungodly hour anyway. 

But what is this noise, and he cannot tell as he stops and shines his torch down the hall where the noise persists.

Something is knocking on the walls.

The noise continues, growing louder and louder in volume and as it started at the end of the hall, it seems to be growing closer. As though someone's palm is placed flat upon the wall and repeatedly pounding on the surface, he hears it all over as it travels from the end of the hall, moving closer to him, and the posters stuck on the walls begin to tremble and shake.

Confused, he moves the torch left and right but he sees nothing, feels nothing.

"Who's there?" he says, and he thinks it's a mistake for the noises stop as soon as he's spoken. He's informed it that he is here, that he is aware of it, and that he is alone. 

Horace waits and the stillness returns and he's about to brush it off, perhaps he needs more sleep, yes, and his ears were playing tricks on him, but then one of the chairs begins moving, the legs forcibly scraping across the linoleum before it is lifted in the air and hurled halfway across the floor.

...

Oleana is the only person still working at Rose Tower at this hour.

She reads through the entries of your blog on her laptop quietly; Rose is too busy to look at it himself so he's designated his secretary to do the work and weed out the minor, trivial stuff and sift for the important details. She reads through your excursions in the Wild Area, the old house in the Rolling Fields, Gengar, the ghost of South Lake Miloch and many more until she comes to your first entry which is dated three to four years ago, more or less.

Penning down your contact number and some bullet points in her notepad, she silently collects her findings and is about to leave her desk until the phone rings.

Whilst she wonders who it could be, she picks it up and says, "Hello, this is Oleana speaking."

" _Hi, this is - Arceus, I really didn't expect anyone to pick up!_ " a man squawks on the other end, clearly shaken.

"I'm still in the office, yes. How may I help."

" _Ah, thank you, Miss Oleana, this is Horace...you know, from the art gallery? I'm a security guard and I'm on shift tonight...Um, I...I'm not quite sure how to tell you this but....the art gallery is....I think it's...I think it's haunted_."

"Haunted, you say?"

" _Yes, ma'am. I-I'm terribly sorry, um, I-I know how it sounds._.."

"We're already looking into this matter."

" _Oh, r-really?_ "

"Yes, we have received similar complaints. Chairman Rose is coming up with a solution. I'm terribly sorry, but can this wait until the morning?"

" _Uh....s-sure...guess I'll pray to Arceus to keep me safe for now..._."

"Thank you." Oleana promptly hangs up after exchanging goodbyes with the security guard.

…

Meanwhile, in Postwick, Leon can't sleep.

He's in his room, lying in his old bed, wide-eyed with insomnia and staring at the ceiling in the darkness. He hasn't been home for so long that his bedroom walls appear foreign to him. Having stayed many nights in hotels and inns, usually for his next endorsement or pokemon battle, he's used to the lively hum of the city outside so the quietness of Postwick is wholly welcoming yet sleep continues to eludes him.

Tonight's events keeps replaying in his mind over and over again, ranging from the many instances when he held your hand, the conversations he had with you and the casual glimpses the two of you kept throwing at each other throughout the entire duration. He finds himself smiling widely at thoughts about you.

You've passed the Charizard Test and according to Charizard himself, you had deliberately injured yourself for him that night without a moment of hesitation or lingering thoughts, and he still cannot fathom how you could've have done such a thing for him. In all earnest, Leon would do the same for you.

You had informed him that your family has vanished. Your father and little sister first, followed by your mother. He can't quite get his head around how that may have happened. The enigma of you is slowly being unravelled and Leon, having just managed to put a few pieces together, discovers there's far much more to know about you than he had realised.

He recalls how forlorn you had become once your family was mentioned and although you declined any form of assistance from him, there must be _something_ he can do.

Troubled, Leon tosses and turns for the umpteenth time before he finally pushes the covers off him and sits up in bed, gets up and switches the lights back on and Rotom is snoozing but he gently picks up his phone and checks the screen. He's wondering if you may have messaged him but there is only a reply from Raihan whom he had messaged earlier.

The bedroom door squeaks open and he hears someone enter.

"Lee?" 

He looks up from his phone to see Hop at his doorway. "Hop?"

"Are you okay?" his little brother asks, rubbing his eyes. Wooloo is by his feet, also looking rather drowsy. 

"I'm fine. What's up?"

"Nothing, I saw your light was still on..."

"Yeah, I'm finding it hard to sleep. You okay?"

Hop shakes his head, "I can't sleep either. I think I ate too much...."

Leon chuckles. "Wanna chat?"

"Okay...I was gonna go downstairs to grab a drink though..."

"Let's make Tapu Cocoa," Leon suggests, and Hop grins widely in agreement.

He exits his room and joins Hop in the hallway with Wooloo trotting beside him and they both make their way quietly down the stairs only to see the light in the kitchen is on and Leon's mum is standing at the sink with rubber gloves, furiously scrubbing at some mould behind the taps.

"Mum!" Hop says, and she turns round, startled before she exhales a sigh of relief as she glances between Hop and Leon.

"Whoo, you scared me, boys."

"Hehe," Hop grins whilst Leon gives her a sheepish smile. "Mum, what are you doing?"

"Oh nothing...just doing some late night cleaning. What're you boys doing up?"

"Lee and I can't sleep!"

"I know what will do the trick; a good, big ol' mug of Gossifleur Camomile Tea."

"We were thinking Tapu Cocoa," Leon replies.

"Oh, that works too," mum says cheerily, and Leon and Hop each slide into the chairs of the kitchen table; Hop also settles Wooloo over one chair but it is so tiny it doesn't even reach the table. Mum adds, "Let me put on the kettle."

"Let me do it," Leon offers, but she shakes her head.

"No, no, dear, you just sit and relax," mum coos as she brings out three mugs from the top shelf. Hop has a white Wooloo mug and Leon has a blue mug with a Charizard on it. 

As they sit and mum waits for the kettle to boil, Leon glances at his brother and mother before he says, "It's been a while since we sat down like this."

"You should come home more often, Leo." 

"I'll try to. Are you guys okay when I'm gone?"

"Yes, of course we are, dear."

"How's gran and granddad?"

"They're fine, they just sit and watch TV with Purrloin," mum reassures him; as the water finishes boiling, she starts making the cocoa, pouring the hot water into each mug and stirring them with a teaspoon before she finally joins them at the table, settling down their mugs. 

"Lovely! Here we are altogether, just like old times. This is nice... if only your dad was here..." mum says with a sigh as she takes a seat in the middle of the table with Hop on her left and Leon to her right. Wooloo hops off the seat and trots to a bowl on the ground, lapping at the water.

"Thanks, mum," Leon says, and Hop echoes him. The drinks are too hot so they leave it to cool down. It grows silent in the kitchen, the only sounds that can be heard are the Ledyba's clicking outside and the clock ticking on the wall.

"So...how is work, dear?" mum asks, breaking the monotony.

"It's good. I'm gonna be busy for the next few weeks or so but today was fun, right?" 

"Yeah!!" Hop replies with vigour, grinning widely from ear to ear, "Lee, are you gonna invite your girlfriend over again??"

"Hop, she's not my girlfriend...We're just friends."

"But you kept holding her hand. Me and Gloria are friends but I don't hold her hand. She said only couples do that."

Leon splutters at once whilst mum giggles, taking a small sip of her drink. When did Hop see him holding her hand anyway? Leon begins rubbing the back of his neck, entwining his fingers into his unruly thick hair. "Well...um...That's because..."

"Did she keep trying to hold _your_ hand? Was it the other way around?"

Leon shakes his head. "No, no! No, Hop, it wasn't her...ah, it was that obvious, huh?"

"Leo, you couldn't take your eyes off her," mum says with a giggle, "She's cute."

His cheeks grow pink. "Mum, I…” he leaves his sentence trailing and mum and Hop look at him mutely in response, waiting for him to finish but he doesn't. It's then Leon realises he is talking to his family about a girl...maybe he should've asked Raihan instead...

“What’s the matter?” mum asks, and his face grows warm before he gives her a reassuring smile.

The last thing he wants is his mother to worry about him. “It’s nothing, mum.”

Mum crosses her arms, pondering to herself and Hop imitates her action. Leon watches them wordlessly as mum unfurls her arms and sighs. "Just do what you think is right, what _feels_ right. If she’s the one, then that would be lovely. But if she's not the right one, then…perhaps you shouldn't talk to her so much or hold her hand. She'll get the wrong idea. There's plenty of Tentacools in the ocean, dear. I just want you to be happy."

 _Plenty of Tentacools in the ocean,_ Leon thinks to himself. 

It grows quiet as mum and Hop take sips from their mugs and Wooloo drinks the bowl of water. It occurs to Leon he hasn't thought about this properly.

There _are_ plenty of Tentacools, but none of them are you.

...

After his grandma passed away and his sister moved to Alola, Jace lives on his own.

When he’s finished his shift at Wyndon stadium, he goes home with Joltik. He wanted to become an electrician and trained for a few years or so but unfortunately was unable to find a job and resorted to being a part-time Ball Guy, a job which he's held down for while now. Jace received an inheritance but avoids using it, concerned that it will run out soon in a few years if he doesn’t get a well-paying job, so he’s doing his best to find a new career.

Little does he know that you’re attempting to train him though he has much to learn. Although you dislike being called an ‘exorcist’, Ezra’s taught you everything he knows and he is recognised by the church as a fully-fledged exorcist and essentially you’re his successor, so you want to pass on everything you know too, and Jace seems like a good candidate.

He isn’t the bravest person you have met but he has good qualities. He’s good with people, he’s friendly (friendlier than Ezra, anyway) and he’s also had a spiritual encounter.

You’ve yet to tell him this so he goes on about his mundane, daily life: he has a microwave dinner whilst sitting in front of his TV, then he spends some time with his pokemon. He is aware of the Giant’s Seat incidence from the news and knew you had solved the case so he messages you to see if you’re alright before he heads to his room to fix the radio.

Jace works with the utmost attention to detail and care, grabbing his goggles with the magnified lens along with his box of tools. Aside from being a part-time Ball Guy, Jace is quite the handyman. The first time when your radio broke, he was able to piece it back together with barely any effort and since then, he’s fixed it for you time and time again.

He’s almost finished; Joltik sits on his shoulder, watching him work whilst Heliolisk sits in his lap. His Eelektross lazes on his bed, curling up to sleep and slobbering over his sheets.

Turning the radio around, Jace uses a small screwdriver to carefully ease some wires together and loop them around each other before he replaces some of the bolts and screws into their proper positions.

Once they’re fixed into their appropriate places, he inserts the case back on and turns the radio around again onto its front and does a test run, pulling out the antenna. The radio only has one dial and he rotates it gently, watching the little tuner move across the screen and the radio splutters into action.

It begins emitting white noise as Jace rotates the dial through all the channels and as he passes eighteen ninety-eight hertz, there is still white noise.

He proceeds to move the dial all the way to the very end. Satisfied that the radio appears to be back in normal working order, he moves the dial to the very beginning and as he passes eighteen ninety eight again, a male’s voice emits from the radio but Jace accidentally rotates the dial past the channel and so he misses what was said.

“What was that?” Jace utters to himself, before he slowly turns the dial back to eighteen ninety-eight and the deep, scratchy voice can be heard far more clearly.

“- _a pocket_ _full of posies, a-tishoo, a-tishoo, we all fall down_. _Ring around the rosie, a pocket full of posies_...”

The mysterious voice unsettles Jace, it is sinister and full of malice.

“ _Hello, who’s there?”_ the voice says before it emits a chuckle, and if Jace knew any better it is as though whoever was on the other end was smiling. " _Don't be shy. Say something_."

Jace instructs his pokemon to keep quiet by placing a finger over his lips and he reaches over to turn the dial to a different channel.

“ _Jace, Jace, what a disgrace,"_ the voice begins to chant, _"Failure to his mother, failure to his father, should just kill himself hereon after_.”

Eyes widening, Jace quickly turns the dial all the way to the very end and the room goes silent. He did the right thing by not responding and a sense of security washes over him. He breathes a sigh of relief, swivelling round in his chair only to be greeted with a tall and dark silhouette situated at the door to his room.

He lets out a howl of fright, his heart slamming hard against his ribs. In a blink, the shadowy figure is gone, replaced with the empty space of the doorway.

The silence is broken when the radio switches on with a loud click, sending Jace into another fit of temporary shock, and the dial rotates to eighteen ninety-eight, twisting around on its own accord and when the white noise disperses, the sounds of mocking laughter fills the room.

Reaching for the device with a shaking hand, he switches the radio off once more. When all goes silent, he exhales audibly, grabs his Rotom phone and dials your number.

…

A week has passed since the dinner with Leon.

He has returned to his duties as Champion and he’s left Postwick. You found out when you returned to their house the day after with the Wooloo plushie; his mum opened the door and she told you that he had already left. Then you check your Rotom phone and see that he hadn’t sent a message to let you know beforehand, which would have been nice. 

You see him again when he is on the news, issuing his statement about the gym challenge and the Giant Seat’s incidence.

Leon addresses the people’s concerns and voices his empathy towards the deceased. Coupled with his good looks and overflowing charisma and confidence, his words are empowering and incredibly motivating. Just like that, people are returning to the gym challenge with renewed trust and faith.

The Giant’s Seat incidence is more or less forgotten, and Chairman Rose is very happy.

There was a funeral which Leon and Graves attended, but you didn’t go because you had no idea nor were you invited. Speaking about Graves, you're supposed to meet him tomorrow at Wyndon Police Station.

As you watch Leon on the TV screen with Gengar and Mimikyu, you remember watching the movie with him over a video call using Rotom, and afterwards you remember how enthusiastic he was. 

You had engaged in lively discussion regarding the true meaning behind ‘Rosebud’ and you could tell how deeply moved he was by the film and he had even told you how much he had enjoyed watching it with you.

You mentioned you should watch another movie together and he agreed but following that, he has ceased to message you.

Out of your control, you messaged him first. Just a simple 'how are you' but unfortunately, you elicited no reply though your message was read and Leon was online which confused you but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realise he is talking to everyone else except you.

You can't deny you feel a bit _hurt_ , but you don't take it personal and try not to think about it too much for you assume he’s far too busy to deal with the likes of you any longer and so you should return to your normal schedule as well. After all, he’s the Champion of Galar and you’re a pokemon researcher. Your paths and priorities are bound to diverge.

However, you find yourself unable to stop thinking about him.

Leon occupies your mind day in and day out. When you’re meant to be working, you’re thinking back to the dinner and all the words that were exchanged, the looks he subjected you to and you would replay certain scenes in your mind again and again.

You think about what he said and what you said, and what you could’ve said differently… and you also think about what could happen should you see him again and what you would say to him. You think of all sorts of scenarios in your head: what if you bumped into him at a café, maybe in Wyndon? What if you saw him in the Wild Area again? So many endless possibilities.

These thoughts soon grow unhealthy because you had wanted to study Mimikyu and her origins and how she could speak human language, but then you’d suddenly find yourself recalling those fond moments of Leon’s dreamy eyes gazing into yours and how he held your hand. He held your hand _so_ many times during that dinner.

You find that you are unable to study and with a heavy sigh, you rub your temples and groan. You need to forget about him for now because most likely, you're the only one who's thinking about him. With no new cases and Leon’s match scheduled more than a week away, you’re free to do as you please.

You have a new member on the team (your client did not want to take Mimikyu back so she will be staying with you) and it’s a good idea to head to the Wild Area tonight; you can even attempt some training…

After devising a plan to venture into the Stony Wilderness, you begin packing your bag until you are interrupted when you receive a call from Jace:

“ _H-hey chuck_ ,” he sounds shaken when you answer, “ _…I-I-I fixed your radio…can you come over right now, please?_ _Please_???”

“Okay, I’ll come over.”

He breathes a huge sigh of relief. “ _Thanks!_ ”

You abandon packing a full bag and merely bring some essentials with you before you head out and arrive at his place in roughly twenty minutes. You see that he had spent those minutes waiting with all the lights switched on and the TV turned up to a high volume in an effort to drown out the monotony. You ring the doorbell to his apartment and from within, you hear him exclaiming loudly with relief and rapid footsteps rushing over.

A pale-faced Jace greets you along with his Joltik, Heliolisk and Eelektross who cling to his arms and leg. Jace is trembling, holding your fixed radio in hand. His blonde hair is usually styled but he’s left it alone, loose strands flopping untidily over his forehead and eyes.

Before he can say a word, you glance around, looking at his lounge and the conjoined kitchen and utter, “Your house feels off. Let me do a quick sweep...”

He nods in agreement. “Thanks…”

“Good thing I brought holy water today."

“T-thanks, chuck…Your radio is soooo cursed, I hate it so much,” Jace moans as he returns his pokemon into their capsules in case they accidentally interfere with your ritual. As you remove your shoes and enter his lounge, he closes the door then hands you the fixed device and adds, “I heard a new voice: it was a man, not your father either. It knew my name and told me to go kill myself. I switched the radio off, turned round and saw this shadowy figure standing over there.”

He points to his bedroom doorway where the door is wide open and you head over to inspect.

“It went away but it scared me half to death," he says with a shiver. "Are you sure it picks up transmissions from the spirit world only?"

You ponder to yourself, glance at the radio then pocket it into your bag, “I'll check with Ezra. Jace, I'm so sorry…thanks for fixing the radio. I’ll make sure to be more careful and not break it anymore.”

“It’s fine, duck, I know you can’t help it and you know I’m always happy to lend a hand.”

“…Thanks, Jace.”

He gives you a wide grin as you smile weakly at him, then he pats you on the top of your head and shuffles to his kitchen in his flipflops so you can perform the cleansing ritual in peace.

Rolling your sleeves up, you begin murmuring the appropriate chant to bless and purify the house before you take out a bottle of water from your bag, unscrew the lid and empty some on your fingertips. Jace watches as you murmur under your breath and sprinkle some of the water over the doorway.

“ _Ave Maria, gratia plena, dominus tecum. Amen_ ,” you murmur, and once the dark presence lifts, you nod to yourself; the task is complete. “That should do it.”

He gives you a wide grin as you smile weakly at him; closing the door behind you, you wander to the lounge and Jace gestures for you to take a seat on his grey couch. “Thanks. All good, right?"

"Yeah."

Whatever it was, it's gone now.

"Let’s have a nice cuppa tea and catch up.”

The décor of his apartment used to be old-fashioned and full of Purrloin plates on the wall or photos and calendars of Snubbulls in various costumes courtesy of his grandmother, but now it’s become more of a typical bachelor’s pad with the casual grey sofa, glass coffee table, the modern blinds and the high chairs that line the counters that stand in the middle of the kitchen which itself has become more modern; there are no more frills and florals, Jace has replaced the wallpaper with white paint and spotlights embedded in the ceiling.

“I like what you’ve done with the place,” you say and he grins.

“Thanks, it took me a while to get it renovated but I’m glad I got it done.”

“It’s more you.”

He chuckles under his breath. “Thanks, chuck. How’s things anyway?” he asks; he’s putting the kettle to boil for two cups which he’s laid out over the counter, tossing in teabags.

“I have a problem.”

The kettle finishes boiling and Jace pours the water in. “What problem?”

“I think I’m in love with Leon.”

“And so do ninety per cent of the female population of Galar,” he replies flatly as he stirs the tea with a spoon then heads over to the sofa with the mugs in hands. 

It’s piping hot, so you’re extra careful as he hands you your mug of earl grey tea. “I’m serious, Jace.”

He seats himself comfortably on his plushy sofa, then grabs the remote and presses the button and the channel changes to some dancing show called _Strictly Come Krumping_ where a dancer is busting some aggressive-looking moves with her Scraggy on the podium.

He flicks through the available movies and TV shows, passing a popular detective drama called _The Killer Sableye_ and eventually move to the documentary section where Jace stares at the blurb of a comedy docuseries called ‘Hiker Dave’s Adventures in Alola with Kiawe’. 

“So…Leon, huh. I thought someone like Kiawe would be your type. Not Leon.” Jace muses, “I didn’t think Leon would be your type at all.”

“Me either. I can't stop thinking about him, I can’t seem to focus on my work anymore. I noticed I can’t stop smiling whenever he’s mentioned or if I'm around him, my heart thumps like a Spoink on steroids and I get so nervous, it’s driving me bonkers and – is that a documentary about Leon?? Put that on, quick.”

Jace raises a brow and rolls his eyes but clicks on the program anyway.

“This is so exciting.”

He sighs and you deadpan all of a sudden.

“Dear lord," you mutter, "What’s happening to me?”

“Relax. You just have a crush on him, that’s all. It’s totally normal for girls your age. It’ll go away and you’ll realise it was just a phase and you’ll return to normal,” Jace mutters before he grabs a biscuit and dabs it into the tea.

What if you don’t want it to pass though?

And what if you want Leon to return these feelings? 

“...You’re right," you end up uttering, shaking your head to clear such ridiculous thoughts, "this is just a phase. I need to snap out of it. I need to maintain a distance from him and I need to stop thinking about him because he sure as hell isn't thinking about me.”

“There are plenty of Tentacools in the ocean,” he adds. “Plenty of Tentacools.”

Yes, there are plenty of Tentacools in the ocean, but none of them are Leon.

…

In Hulbury, Leon is faithfully carrying out one of his Champion duties, which is to help out at a soup kitchen for the homeless.

He usually attends the one in Stow-on-Side, but on this occasion, the soup kitchen in Hulbury requires his assistance.

It’s wholly voluntary and the amount of people who turn up is staggering, ranging from up to thirty to three hundred so Leon has a busy half-day ahead of him.

Swapping his champion uniform and cloak for a t-shirt, overalls, apron and hairnet, the people of Galar probably wouldn’t recognize him nor would they find this hardly fitting for the Champion of Galar, but Leon is happy to lend a hand to the charity and they are extremely grateful for his assistance.

Leon enjoys working with the homeless; they are a lively bunch though most people would be repulsed by the foul stench due to living on the streets and their unsightly looks. They line up one by one in front of the tables that have been set up with Tupperware boxes full of food and cutlery, and Leon assists with the handouts.

“Arceus bless you, Mr Leon,” says a man with a toothy smile and an equally toothy Growlithe by his side.

“And you, sir,” Leon replies with a grin, as the man waddles away with his food for the night. “Enjoy your meal!”

The next individual steps up in line; it is an old man dressed in black with a mop of messy black hair and eyes that are entirely white and glazed over. He slowly shuffles over whilst coughing harshly, balancing an unlit cigarette between the cracked corners of his dry lips.

An Absol trots beside him, carrying a silver flask fastened to a harness that’s looped around her body.

“Here you are, sir,” Leon says, handing him a cutlery set and a plastic box full of hot rice, curry, potatoes and mushrooms, and the man blindly grasps for the box. Leon notices immediately and places the plastic tub into the old man’s palm, his long and gnarled fingers curling over the plastic.

“Thank you,” the man grunts out with gratitude, “C’mon, Absol, let’s go.”

The blind man begins to wander away with Absol plodding silently beside him until another homeless man comes rushing over in a hurry to join the queue and slams into his side none too gently, causing the blind man to topple over and the box’s contents to spill everywhere as it clatters to the ground.

“Oof,” the blind man grunts as he lands on the floor, cigarette falling out of his lips.

“Watch where you’re going, old geezer!” yells the other man before he sprints away, and Absol hisses angrily at him, her eyes glowing a bright blue. She attempts to chase him down but her owner stops her in time.

Having witnessed the entire scene, Leon hastily grabs a new food box and heads over. The blind man attempts to get up though he is helplessly sprawled over the ground, trying to locate his cigarette by patting the space around him with his hand.

Once he’s arrived, Leon lowers himself to his knees and helps the blind man up by grabbing the back of his elbow firmly. “Are you alright, sir?”

“I’m fine, thanks,” he grunts, rubbing his aching hip.

“Can you stand?”

The blind man nods and on the count of three, Leon helps him up though his knees shake and his legs wobble. Leon glances around the floor with all the spilled food and calls for some of the volunteers from the soup kitchen to help clean up; they acknowledge with a nod and arrive at the scene with a mop and long-handled brush.

“Where’s my cigarette?” the blind man growls under his breath, and Leon quickly picks up the little stick and hands it to him.

“There you go.”

“Thanks, kid,” the blind man proceeds to place it between his lips, “You new here? You don’t sound like the regulars.”

“I’m assisting the Hulbury soup kitchen for today only.”

“Hm. I see.”

“I brought you a new box of food.”

“That’s very kind of you, new guy. Usually if I cock up and rejoin the queue, they tell me to scram.”

“I couldn’t possibly do that. That’s not fair on you.”

The blind man lets out a huff of agreement. “They need to be more like you, new guy. You’re a good ‘un. Now, uh… I need to siddown …”

“I’ll help you,” Leon grasps his elbow and helps the man hobble over to an empty space near one of the stalls whilst Absol purrs with appreciation at Leon for his help.

Her owner pats her on the head and turning to Leon, he looks up at the Champion with his empty white eyes and says, “I can manage from here, new guy. Don’t mind me, I’m just a blind and useless old man.”

“I need to make sure you’ll be okay,” Leon replies, and he helps the blind man sit down on an overturned plastic box, allowing him to sigh and smack a clenched fist over his knees.

Another volunteer hurries over with a batch of paper towels. “Ezra, are you alright? That was a nasty fall.”

Leon blinks at sound of the name. “Ezra?”

“ _He’s one of our regulars_ ,” the volunteer proceeds to inform him in a hushed whisper. “ _He’s an ex-convict…he was jailed for the murder of his wife and kid_.”

“I may be blind but I ain’t deaf,” Ezra barks and the volunteer goes red in the face.

Leon glances at Ezra wide-eyed, unsure if he is willing to believe what his ears just heard. However, he chooses to stay put and asks, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m alright…” Ezra grumbles, before he throws his empty gaze to Leon’s direction, then jabs a finger at the volunteer, “Hey, you should hire more people like this new guy. You can learn a lot from him.”

“This is Leon, the Champion of Galar!” the volunteer exclaims.

“Champion, eh?”

“Yes!"

Ezra nods to himself. “New guy. You remind me of my disciple. You got a big heart, just like her.”

“I know your disciple,” Leon says excitedly before he can help himself. At the mere mention of you, his face has lit up and a huge grin has appeared. Reaching for Ezra’s ragged hand, he shakes it firmly and Ezra raises a brow, “She found me when I got taken by a Froslass and I went with her to a haunted house with Charizard and she deducted that it was actually a Zorua-“

“Whoa, hold it right there, champ. Slow down, have a seat,” the man replies, and Leon eagerly moves to sit beside him whilst the volunteer decides to saunter away. Emitting a wheezy laugh, Ezra rests a hand on his knee and says, “So, you’ve met my disciple?”

“Yes, Mr Ezra.”

He chuckles at Leon's formality. “Saved you from a Froslass, huh? You were one of the missing folk at the Giant's Seat?"

"Not exactly, but she still saved my life."

Ezra chuckles louder. "She tell you much about me?”

“Not much, only that you’re frightening and that you taught her everything she knows.”

“Hehe, that’s right,” the old man says with a smirk, “I used to be the pastor for the Church of Circhester. Decided it really wasn’t for me. I stay in Greyson’s Cemetery now. I’m the caretaker. Come visit when you have time."

“Thank you, sir. How did you meet her?”

Ezra snickers in response before he rubs his chin, “Huh, now you’re testin’ my memory…She tried an Ouija board in the cemetery and summoned a demon. Ended up possessin’ her. I found her and performed an exorcism, woke up in hospital and she was there. She kept apologizin’ and started cryin’ too, thought she’d gotten me killed… and I told her it’d take more than that to kill this old man. Think she was kinda…traumatized or somethin’ after that ordeal…but then she turned up to the graveyard one day and kept comin’ back every night and askin’ me if I could teach her stuff."

Leon nods in response as Ezra opens his flask and takes a brief swig. It smells of strong beer.

“She’s a good kid, Leon. A poor kid, too,” Ezra adds, wiping his chin.

“She told me her family are missing.”

“Yeah, that’s right,” the old man says with a sigh, “she says nobody believed her and that’s why she came to me for help. I was the only one who did. Now you’re best not to get tied up with our affairs, you know? It’s dangerous.”

“Yes, sir."

"And uh, could you do me a favour? If you see her...give her this, please?" Ezra lifts out a strange stone with a fissure in the middle and Leon recognises it as the Odd Keystone. "Tell her it needs one more spirit. She'll understand."

"Sure. Thank you, Mr Ezra. Take care.” Leon replies and he pockets the keystone and before they depart, they shake hands and he returns to his station, pulling on a new pair of gloves and begins serving the next few individuals in line.

When he’s finished with the soup kitchen, Ezra heads to the cemetery, waving to Leon. It’s growing dark and following a message from Chairman Rose, Leon returns to Rose Tower.

The journey to Wyndon is a short one and when he has arrived at the penthouse with Charizard's help, he knocks on the door and waits patiently. It’s been a long day but he still has many tasks ahead of him. Leon hasn’t even begun his training with his team yet. He hears the door click open and Oleana appears.

With a stoic expression, she greets him with a polite bow of her head. “Hello Mr Champion.”

“Hi Ms Oleana.”

“Thank you for coming,” she utters and she opens the door for him and he enters the penthouse without further delay to see Rose sitting on his large leather couch, engrossed with the little flashing screen of his Rotom phone which is playing a video.

"Good evening, sir,” Leon says, and he looks up.

“Ah, Leon! You’re here. Please, come over and have a look at this. Tell me what you think," Rose says as Leon joins his side, before he hands him the phone, pressing 'play' on the screen. 

A screechy song can be heard, with a violent mix of percussion and bass guitar riffs blasting out in high volume.

" _Ghostbunkers, hoooo yeah! Ghostbunkers, ghosts beware!!! GHOSTBUNKERS!!!_ " a charismatic but deep, gruff voice belts out. It ends in thirty seconds or so and Leon stares as a young man proceeds to appear on screen in the dark. His form is an eerie pale green in colour, his eyes are glowing pools of light due to the night-vision camera. " _Hi, hello! Tan here, and welcome back to another exciting episode of Ghostbunkers! Tonight, we're heading to the abandoned Thrifty Megamart in Alola!_ "

He returns the phone. He's seen enough. “Sir, what is this?”

"An interesting duo who call themselves the ‘Ghostbunkers’," Rose mutters with a small smile gracing his lips.

“Is something wrong, sir?”

“Do you recall the art gallery event?”

“Yes sir. It was due to open but it got postponed for unknown reasons.”

“Indeed. Well, we received a call from one of the night security guards. It was another complaint regarding the art gallery being 'haunted'.”

“Haunted?” Leon says, surprised. This would be the first time he’s heard such a thing.

“Yes, we didn’t want news to spread so kept it secret. Anyway, I was thinking it's time we hired a couple of experts to inspect the building.” Whilst Rose hums under his breath in response, Oleana does not look amused with the direction as to where this conversation is going, “And you have just met a pokemon expert who deals with these sorts of things. It's great timing. If she's available, I'd like to ask her to help....if she's up for the task, that is.”

Leon is uncomfortable. He put in a good word for you and he told Rose about the Giant's Seat incidence but he didn't realise this sort of thing would happen. “Sir, she is a good person. Please do not-“

“Don’t get me wrong, Leon. I am treating this as a very serious matter…though I'm not inclined to believe in ghosts but what choice do I have? The art gallery’s opening has been delayed for far too long."

“I understand, sir.”

With that, Rose steeples his fingers together and nods to himself, "Excellent. Then it's decided, we'll ask this pokemon researcher and these...'Ghostbunkers' for help. Oleana. please call them at your earliest convenience. Explain to them our circumstances, the art gallery, the hauntings... The fee can be discussed later."

"Very well, sir," Oleana acknowledges with a short bow as she clasps her hands gently together.

"Thank you; I'd also like to meet the pokemon researcher in person. Can you arrange a meeting for me at the hotel tomorrow?"

"Yes sir."

As Oleana begins to exit the penthouse to make the phonecalls, Rose rises from his seat, sliding his hands into his pockets. “Very good. That's another matter off my chest. Leon, let’s go have dinner, shall we? I have a booking at _The Captain’s Table_. All the gym leaders will be joining us tonight. We're celebrating your smooth recovery.”

“Yes, sir…” Leon utters, as he follows Rose outside; he can’t help but wonder what he’s gotten you involved...

…

You’re on your way home, sitting in the Corviknight taxi whilst checking Rotom; you still have not received any messages from Leon. Suddenly, Rotom's screen changes, indicating to you that an unknown number is calling you. It must be a new client.

“Hello?” you say as you swipe the screen and hold Rotom to your ear.

“ _Hello_ ,” says a stern voice belonging to a female, “ _Am I speaking to the ghost-type pokemon researcher of Wedgehurst?_ ”

“Yes, that’s me,” you reply and she mentions your name for further confirmation, “Who’s speaking?”

“ _My name is Oleana. I work for Chairman Rose of Macro Cosmos_.”

“Ah, hello. How may I help you?”

“ _Chairman Rose would like to meet you to discuss a proposition. Would you be free tomorrow afternoon?_ ”

You remember that you’re supposed to meet Graves tomorrow as well. “Sure, I’m free anytime except one pm.”

“ _Very good. Please go to the Rose of the Rondelands in Wyndon tomorrow and inform reception you have a meeting with the Chairman at three pm sharp_.”

“Okay.”

“ _Do you have any questions?_ ”

“What is this proposition?”

“ _The Champion has recommended and vouched for you and your credentials, so Chairman Rose would like to personally meet you to enquire about your services. You will find out more when you see him tomorrow_.”

You're taken aback. “...Alright, sounds good.”

“ _Thank you. Have a nice evening_.”

…


	11. It's a Trap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet Graves and Chairman Rose in Wyndon, and your investigation of Rose Gallery begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 30.09.2020

**It's a TRAP!**

…

…

[It is proposed that poltergeists are actually the emotions of troubled individuals – built up during times of stress. This theory, known as _Spontaneous Recurring Psychokinesis,_ suggests that this built-up stress then unconsciously projects outwards in the form of mental energy, which effects the physical environment and produces the phenomena attributed to poltergeists.]

…

…

The next day, you head to Wyndon Police Station to meet Graves.

You enter the busy establishment, glancing around. Inside, various policemen and women are seated at desks, busily serving people. You tell reception you’re here to see the Chief Inspector and they let you enter and you pass a young male officer of average height standing near the vending machine with a Grapploct, Growlithe and a Herdier in police hats and corresponding uniforms. He glances at you with a grin, chewing on a Lumiose Galette.

"Back again, kooky girl?" he says with a thick brogue, “Heard you solved the Giant’s Seat case. What kinda weird hoodoo did you do this time?”

You ignore him, heading to the Chief Inspector’s office and rap lightly on the door with your knuckles.

“ _Come in_ ,” says a gruff and stern voice, and you subsequently enter the room.

Manectric sleeps in his basket near the coat stand whilst Arcanine sits in another corner, biting on a chew toy, and a disgruntled-looking Graves sits at his desk, going through some files. He swerves his eyes up to you when you step in and then returns to rifle through the papers before settling them down.

Graves' office is very bland but messy and as Chief Inspector, he is neck-deep with all sorts of cases so you are quite thankful he has made time for you this afternoon. You take the black leather seat opposite him and look at his desk, glancing at the Newton’s Cradle beside a small berry planter where all the leaves are dead and the soil is dried up. There is also a shiny gold plaque with his name and job title on it which thoroughly reminds you again of the authority he holds here.

He scans your face briefly before he says, “You okay, kid?” His mouth keeps moving as you nod in response. He must be chewing gum. “Did you bring it?”

“Yeah,” you delve a hand into your bag and lift out the Dusk ball with Froslass inside; you look at her capsule in your hands before hesitantly placing it on the desk. You are parting ways with her, and you wished you had more time to study and keep her. “...Promise me she won’t get hurt.”

Graves sighs as he takes the capsule and swivels round in his seat, dragging it over to a metal cabinet and pulling out one of the drawers in the middle, dropping it inside. “You know I can’t. There are rules for pokemon that kill, it's out of my jurisdiction.”

“Tell them it’s not her fault,” you protest and he slams the drawer shut, causing you to wince at the loud noise.

“We are _not_ going to debate about this,” Graves grunts as he returns to his desk, the wheels rolling loudly, “You know the drill; the top’s asking for an explanation for the official report. I’m gonna say Leon got taken by a Froslass, you were in the vicinity and since you’re buddies with Leon, you and Charizard followed his trail, leading you to the den. That sound ‘bout right?”

“Yeah.”

Graves nods, picks up his pen and begins signing the forms one by one. “You are aware that you’re not going to get any credit for this, aren’t you?”

“I don’t want any credit.”

With eyebrows raised, Graves then says, “Magnolia gave me an earful the other day. And I should’ve known better too; I shouldn’t have given you that information. She doesn’t want you to work on these cases anymore and neither do I. And stop talking to that homeless guy.”

“That homeless guy is my mentor.”

“That _homeless guy_ is an ex-convict who was charged with the murder of his wife and kid.”

“He didn’t kill anyone, a demon possessed-”

With that, Graves groans audibly with frustration, rubbing his temples, “Arceus, enough with this mumbo jumbo supernatural talk about ghosts and demons, you’re giving me a helluva headache.”

“You’re the one who let me help out with this case.”

“I know, and I bloody well regret it now. What was I thinking? Things are different, you could’ve died back there - both you and Leon, and then I’d have ten dead bodies on my hands, not eight. I’m serious. Just promise me you ain’t gonna do this anymore. Nobody asked you to and nobody expects you to. You’re just a kid. You should be doing the gym challenge or doing something young people are doing these days. Like doing makeup tutorial videos and posting them online. Anything but this.”

“But-"

He interrupts you hastily. “You ain’t one of us so stop acting like one of us. Stop pretending. You ain’t some private investigator and you ain’t some homicide detective. You don’t have the shiny badge, the gun or the right qualifications. If you really wanted to, you’d do it officially, sign up and take some exams or something. You'd get paid a hell lot more too.”

“Graves, I know what I’m doing and I know what I’m getting myself into. I don’t want to join the force and I don’t need to. ”

“Don’t you get it? One day you’re gonna end up dead. The next body we find is gonna be _yours_ and I don’t want that.”

You sit in your seat with a frown, crossing your arms, “If you believed me those years ago, you and I won’t be sitting here having this conversation.”

“Don’t talk to me like that, I’m your goddamn godfather,” Graves barks, his thick brows knitting tightly, his annoyed gaze pinned on your weary form.

“If you had just listened to me all those years ago when I came to the police station then my mum and dad-“

“Goddamnit! How many times do I have to tell you? They’re dead!” he snaps at you, slamming his fist on the table and the papers fly and his pokemon look up.

Upon realization of his harsh tone and his acute frown, he stops, his expression clearing up and dissolving into a remorseful one. Graves plops backwards in his seat with an agitated sigh, fists loosening and his face becoming flushed as he sweeps a large palm through his messy hair before he emits an exhausted groan.

“Look, kid, I…I’m sorry, I ain’t good at these things…and I-I didn’t mean…you’re a good kid, I know you mean well but…this is dangerous, you know?”

“….They’re not dead,” you say quietly before you get up from your seat and head to the door.

As Graves lets out a helpless, exasperated sigh in response, your mind is hazy, filled with unspoken rage and before you know it, you have left Wyndon Police Station.

You’re in a foul mood yet you still have a meeting with Rose in an hour. Taking deep breaths, you head to Wyndon Café to buy an extra large coffee and attempt to cool off by sitting at the fountain and drowning yourself with copious amounts of caffeine.

It’s not often you have an argument with Graves but when you do, it’s usually about the questionable existence of your family.

Your wristwatch blips, indicating that it’s almost the time of the meeting so you quickly finish the rest of your drink and head to the _Rose of the Rondelands_ , the glamorous five-star hotel to the left of Wyndon Stadium.

“This better be worth my time,” you grunt under your breath as you tiredly scrub your face with your hand.

You wonder what this meeting would encompass when you speak to reception and are directed to the tea lounge. Leon has said something to Rose about you. Couldn’t this have been done over email? Your mood improves after you're seated down on one of the plush, cosy red settees whilst being served an array of fancy tea and scones by the well-dressed waiting staff. A pianist plays the Wyndon City theme in an eloquent and tranquil pace whilst regular customers chat over their fancy three-tiered cake trays. The ambience is disturbed as footsteps approach you and you look up.

It’s Chairman Rose and Oleana.

“Good afternoon,” says Rose, who promptly looks at you from head to toe. He’s assessing you already, masquerading whatever opinion he’s already formed in his mind about you with a light smile on his face. He holds his hand out and you stand up and firmly shake hands, “Thank you for coming.”

You have only seen Rose on TV or when he’s in his civilian disguise so seeing him in person and so close is quite the surreal experience. He's shorter than you thought. His assistant is tall and beautiful, and commands an equally empowering presence with her slender frame, complete with a disciplined quietness you haven’t seen elsewhere. In fact, she seems almost…robotic.

They seat themselves down on the couch opposite yours after the formalities are over; Oleana has a designer briefcase with her, which she nestles behind her back. A waiter arrives shortly with a tray carrying a wine glass which he settles in front of Rose on the low coffee table.

Chairman Rose thanks him, picks up the glass and the meeting starts, “Leon’s told me so much about you, I had to meet you myself. First of all, I want to thank you for everything you have done.”

“You’re welcome, sir,” you reply, as Rose takes a sip whilst Oleana sits rigidly in her seat whilst keeping her monotone gaze pinned on your form. Her lips are tightly pursed together, so tiny, that they look like red dots on her face; she resembles those porcelain dolls.

“The work that you do has come to my attention, so I’ve asked you to meet me here today. I’d like to hear more about your experiences. I’m fully aware that you study ghost type pokemon and you deal with the paranormal.”

“Yes, that’s correct,” you reply, and you proceed to tell him briefly about yourself and what you do.

Rose nods as he listens, seemingly pleased with everything you’re saying, and his smile widens, “Wonderful, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear for I have a request. I’m about to open a brand new art gallery soon. The grand unveiling was delayed as it’s come to my attention that it may be ‘haunted’. The staff complain incessantly of hearing odd noises and seeing objects moving at night…I’d like you to investigate. Ghost or not, I want to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible."

This sounds right up your alley so you nod, “Of course.”

“Thank you, you will be rewarded handsomely. Oleana will handle this initial consulting fee, your remuneration and paperwork.”

“Paperwork?”

“Yes, we’ll need you to sign some papers.”

“Oh…okay.”

“Take all the time you need and you’re welcome to bring along any assistants as long as they sign the papers too.”

“No problem,” you reply, “I should be able to get it done in one night. When would you like me to start?”

“Today, if possible. I can’t afford to delay the deadline any further.”

“Understood.”

Rose smiles widely and you continue to engage in small talk such as The Pokemon League, the Giant's Seat Incidence, Leon, Macro Cosmos, before Rose checks his silver, expensive wristwatch for the current time. “I have another meeting at half four so I’ll take you to the gallery right now. Unfortunately I won’t be able to show you around for long."

“That’s fine,” you say and with a plan in mind, Rose and Oleana rise from their seats, gesturing and allowing you to exit first. You’re somewhat nervous and just before you leave the hotel, Oleana fishes out a white tracksuit, cap and sunglasses from the briefcase which Rose puts on quickly.

She nods after he thanks her but remains silent as Rose treks outside in his half-civilian disguise with you beside him. Regardless, the Chairman takes you around the back of the hotel that leads to a dirty and smelly alleyway which consists of a linear path straight ahead that connects to various buildings on the same street. There are a few smokers lurking outside but they don’t pay attention to you.

“This is the quickest route. Please excuse the smell,” Rose says with a chuckle; you’re stunned a man of his calibre is happy to walk through this trashy street in his expensive shoes.

The walk to the art gallery is relatively quick; it’s a few blocks from the hotel and once you have arrived at the steel door of a building that resembles the hotel, with the same red-brick exterior, Oleana takes over, fishes for the key in the briefcase and proceeds to unlock the huge door which opens with a low creak.

A long and narrow corridor with linoleum flooring lies ahead. It's a fire exit, you realise. Your group enters and Rose abandons his disguise and sweeps his fingers through his hair. “This way.”

He leads you through the corridor that splits off to another branching corridor that leads to various staffrooms and the basement, but Rose leads you directly up the stairs and finally, pushes another set of doors and you appear at the visitor’s hall which is a large and spacious, brightly-lit room. The windows are massive and the walls stretch high above your heads. It resembles the typical museum format and layout with many long and huge posters with Pikachus and pictures of legendary Pokemon outlining the various exhibits and a giant plastic Wailord hanging from the ceiling.

“Wow, this is amazing,” you say as you gawk at the Wailord display and Rose chuckles. The art gallery is beautiful...how could it be haunted?

“Thank you,” he says, and your group make their way towards the direction of the visitor’s desk where you see a member of staff manning the desk alongside a familiar figure who glances over at your direction.

You’re stunned to see that this familiar person is none other than Leon; you were getting used to seeing him in casual wear, in a thick woolly jumper or his black sweats. Donned in the tight Champion's shirt, white leggings and the majestic cape, Leon has turned into an entirely different person...

Whilst the receptionist bows her head at Rose, the Chairman looks surprised to see the Champion. “Leon? What are you doing here?”

Leon’s honey-coloured eyes settles on you briefly and you freeze on the spot, your heart begins thumping hard all over again and you inwardly kick yourself in a vain effort to _stop_.

Luckily, Leon quickly averts his gaze to the Chairman and smiles warmly, “Hello Chairman Rose, I just wanted to stop by and make sure everything’s okay.”

“Thank you, Leon, that’s very generous of you. Everything’s fine, your friend here has agreed to help so I’m going to quickly show her around,” Rose says jovially in response; he's scrapped the introductions since he's aware you are both well-acquainted. “Well then, let’s begin, shall we?”

You wonder if Leon’s listening because he returns to stare at you and your heartbeat soars to an astronomical rate as you sneak a peek at him from the corner of your eye and you see that he has not stopped; your cheeks grow warm as you contemplate the fact that he is staring at you _continuously_ but Rose and Oleana appear oblivious to this tension between you and the Champion.

Rose heads over to a set of double doors with the sign ‘ _Right Wing_ ’ above them. You muster the bravery to fully glance at Leon briefly and when your gazes meet, his mouth moves a fraction but ultimately, he is silent, deciding it's best not to say much in the Chairman's presence especially because this is essentially, business. You cannot help but feel Leon is different once he dons the Champion cape and uniform.

He’s distant, painfully so.

Nevertheless, you follow Rose and Oleana inside the right wing with Leon trailing behind and Rose throws open the doors and it’s then you see the true extent of the art gallery’s size and the many treasures he has gathered over the years.

“We have an insect emporium, butterfly exhibit, gems display, antiques section and modern art exhibit,” Rose says proudly, and he continues rambling, going on about the other exhibits in the left wing but as you stare at your new surroundings, your chest clenches and your breathing grows laboured.

A darkness has settled within this very building.

Hoping no-one had noticed your change in demeanour (except Leon, because suddenly he appears worried for you), you turn to Rose and ask, “This is a brand new building?”

You’re aware Leon is watching you and your nerves soar through the roof, but you try your best to focus on the task at hand.

“Yes, but it’s actually smaller compared to other galleries such as the museum in Pewter City. It's only one floor."

“Did you have any problems during construction? For example, any accidents onsite?"

"Nothing that I'm aware of."

"And did you receive any warnings beforehand about the land you were building on?”

“None whatsoever. It went swimmingly,” Rose replies and you slide your gaze to the ground, to your feet. 

_At least Rose was smart and didn't build anything on top of ancient burial grounds. But that means there's nothing wrong with the building itself and it's to do with something inside. What is this...feeling? There's something..._

Leon observes your reaction until you look up and spot a sign in the corner that says: ‘ _Dedicated to Edward Rose_ ’. 

“Who’s Edward Rose?” 

“Excellent question, Edward Rose was one of my ancestors,” Rose says, “He was a lover of art and an avid treasure hunter himself, so the majority of these extravagant items on display were curated by him and I've decided to release them on display to the public. He was a great man."

You lift Rotom out to do an online search on _Edward Rose_ to see what else comes up but there is limited information available. 

Rose snaps his fingers and on cue, Oleana hands you several documents from the briefcase which you unfurl properly to study them carefully. It’s a map of the art gallery and several marketing leaflets containing all the exhibits. “Sir,” she says, “Your meeting will begin in fifteen minutes.”

“Thank you, Oleana. I’m afraid I’ll have to take my leave now,” Rose says, “I look forward to the results of your investigation.”

“Leave it to me," you assure them.

Rose and Oleana exit after you exchange goodbyes, leaving yourself and Leon in the right wing. Leon, having maintained a distance from you since you had arrived, finally walks up to you and stops by your side as you let your eyes wander over the papers before you fold them back up. 

“What do you think?” Leon asks.

You wish he wouldn't ask you this question because you're actually not too sure. For certain, a distinct dark and foreboding presence lingers somewhere in the art gallery but you're not entirely sure where.

"Give me a minute," is all you say, before you begin to wander through the various displays and exhibits and Leon joins your side, falling in line with you, step by step. “The guards are right. There’s something here,” you utter as you glance around and he follows where you are looking but you are moving too fast for him so he has a hard time catching up.

You are purposely attempting not to look at him and he ends up following you through the right wing and all the way to the left wing, and back.

Unfortunately, you come to one drastic conclusion: “I can't tell right now. Entities are more active at night so I will need to come back when it's dark.”

Your brief investigation is over, so you and Leon exit the art gallery and onto the large stone steps. Once you’re outside with the Champion, you see that the art gallery is stationed on a cosy-looking street of Wyndon, far from the crowds. It’s more of a suburban area that is filled with quaint cafes and souvenir shops.

Glancing behind you to the building, the art gallery is very normal; it is a large and extravagant building in plain sight. A billboard stands to the left, just before the grand staircase, outlining the unveiling date and where to sign up for RSVP.

“How are you anyway?” you ask, as you stuff Rose's papers into your bag.

“I’m fine,” he murmurs, “How are you?”

“I’m good, thanks for asking.”

You don’t think it is wise to ask him why he didn’t reply to your message which you think he is aware of, because he looks sheepish all of a sudden.

“I met Ezra at the soup kitchen,” he adds and you quirk a brow, “he wanted me to give you this. He said it needs one more spirit and that you'll understand.”

He takes out the Odd Keystone from his pockets and hands you the smooth stone.

"Thanks.”

“Do you want me to go with you?” Leon asks quietly, but you shake your head and deposit the stone in your bag then scoop Rotom out, typing a quick message.

“There’s no need, I’ll ask Jace for help,” you utter under your breath.

“Jace…?” Leon murmurs, and he throws his gaze to the side.

He sounds hurt.

“Yeah, so…I better get ready for tonight. I don’t want to take up any more of your precious time either. Bye Leon,” you say quickly, before you hop down the stairs and towards the Corviknight taxi ranks.

“Ah, right…goodbye,” he says, but you didn’t hear.

You wonder if you had unintentionally made Leon feel bad.

…

It’s almost night-time and much preparation is needed for the case.

Although _preparation_ in your books, is getting as much sleep as possible before you woke up later on in the evening to get ready and head out.

Along with the leaflets, Rose has sent you an extremely confidential pdf file that contains the list of all the displays and exhibits inside the gallery so you have an electronic copy. Overall, it’s a lot to go through, so you move onto the transcripts of the hauntings taken down by the terrified staff.

It’s the usual: doors opening and closing, knocking on the walls, grunting, growling and to top it all off, moving pieces of furniture.

Sounds like poltergeist activity which isn’t unusual in your books, and you finish packing your bag with your essentials.

You go through the papers Rose wants you to sign and it’s all legal affairs. If you are injured on premises, Rose and Macro Cosmos bear no liability. If you break anything in the art gallery, you’re also fully liable. No pokemon battles are allowed. If you steal, you will be prosecuted.

After skimming through the main points, you sign them and then send a copy to Jace to sign.

You’re meeting him at Wyndon at the agreed time and you’ve briefed him on the investigation. He is eager to accompany you and when you arrive, he hastily waves you over.

He insisted on matching outfits to make a statement, so here you are both dressed from head to toe in all manners of black clothing.

“Jace, thanks for doing this. What have you brought with you?” you ask, gawping at the black rucksack that’s hanging off his shoulders. He’s also got Joltik’s capsule stuck to his belt.

“Glad you asked!” he exclaims as he loops the bag off himself and unzips it after settling it on the ground. Jace reveals that he has packed a headlight, night vision and heat vision goggles, a tripod camera, heat detecting monocular, digital voice recorder and EMF recorder.

It's basically everything you don’t need and don’t use.

“At least take the headlight,” he moans when you tell him this.

“No thanks, I’m fine with my trusty torch. But you should definitely use those," you say, gesturing to all his equipment.

"Alright..." Jace pouts and packs his bag back up; he keeps his headlight on and EMF recorder in hand.

You’re supposed to meet Rose’s delegate at the ticketing booth, so you both head up the stairs, arriving at the main entrance where you and Leon stood a few hours ago in the daylight.

A security guard can be seen sitting in the booth along with a Klefki hanging from one of the hooks on the wall. You knock on the window and he looks up from his magazine.

“Oh, are you the pokemon researcher?”

“Yep, that’s me. And this is my assistant, Jace.”

“Hi.”

“Great,” says the security guard, “the more the merrier. Thanks for coming, I'll be your guide.”

“No problem.”

The security man leaves the booth along with Klefki before he grabs a flashlight from his pocket and switches it on. “Come with me.”

You and Jace trail after the man as he wanders to the front door with Klefki who promptly sticks one key inside and unlocks it.

The lights are switched off inside and you realise it’s worse when it’s dark, and as the man shuts the doors behind you, he beckons you to follow him once again.

“My name is Horace,” he says, “I called Ms. Oleana the other day and I didn’t think they would take me seriously, but it turns out I wasn’t the only one. The cleaners, the other security guards, they all came forth and said the same thing.”

“Which is what?” Jace asks.

“I’m pretty sure Mr Rose was warned, but there’s something evil in there,” Horace says with a slight shiver, and you’re aware that he is incredibly uncomfortable speaking about it, “He has a hell lotta old stuff and it’s all in there on display….I’m certain some of them are cursed or something so that’s where we need your help along with…uh, these guys.”

You see two young men standing at the visitor’s desk; the brunette is holding a camera whilst the blonde is tapping away on his phone.

“Rose wanted a second opinion so you’re not gonna be alone in this. He’s asked these guys for help too.”

You and Jace exchange incredulous glances before you settle your gazes on the two men. You weren’t aware of this arrangement at all.

The blonde has a tattoo of a Machamp on his neck and the brunette has a thick beard and bandanna. Both are donned in warm coats and they’re both carrying rucksacks that rattles noisily with equipment.

“Oh, if it isn't the _Witch of Wedgehurst_ ,” says Machamp-tattoo man as he looks up and eyes you head to toe. You spot a red and black checkered shirt underneath his coat and a gold necklace around his neck.

"The what?" you say, stunned.

"You know that's what people call you, right? I know who you are, I recognise you; you're the ghost-type researcher."

"Yes, but I've never heard people calling me the _Witch_ -"

"Oh, well, you have now," he says, and as you do a double take he adds, “I’m Tanner. This is my camera man, Cole.”

“Hi,” says the bearded one, as he balances the large and hulking, black camera on one shoulder as though it weighs nothing.

“We’re the Ghostbunkers,” Tanner says with a grin.

“Ghost…bunkers??”

“Yeah, have you heard of us?” he asks, and you shake your head. His eyes bulges with disbelief. “Have you been living under a rock?”

“Um…”

“Okay, okay, to fill you in, we visit allegedly haunted places and debunk it, okay? Ghosts? No, it’s just a pokemon or something,” Tanner says, “Most of the time, it’s ninety-nine per cent nothing to do with ghosts at all.”

“So what about the remaining one per cent?” Jace asks, and it’s a perfectly logical question but Tanner merely laughs.

“Well, that’s not our forte.”

“Fair enough.”

Tanner’s focus averts to you. “Well, this is the first time I’ve had to collaborate with someone without being told,” he then grumbles sourly. “Cole, remind me to double Rose’s rate.”

“Got it, T.”

“Rose didn’t tell you guys that we were coming either?” you ask, brow raised and Tanner nods. Pondering to yourself, you slip in a quick and polite, “Please excuse us.”

Whilst Horace the security guard and the duo look at you with unamused looks, you and Jace hurry to a corner.

"Jace, people call me a 'witch' behind my back," you murmur. You have to admit; you're not too surprised about this. You already get called a kook, what else? “This can’t be happening. Have we been played?” 

“What do you mean?” Jace whispers back.

“I thought we would be the only ones here,” you reply, “And these guys? The Ghostbunkers??? What the hell?”

“He said his name was Tanner, right? And his BFF is Cole…” Jace says, before he pulls out his phone and begins searching online. “Aha! Found them…”

You both huddle over Rotom’s tiny screen where Jace has found Tanner’s ‘Ghostbunkers’ website. It appears they are also from Galar. The brief description mentions he has ten years of extensive experience of the supernatural and hunting ghosts but he created this channel one year ago.

“Arceus, ten years. That’s more than me,” you croak out whilst Jace rolls his eyes, “and he has his own channel... he has a theme song. He even gets fanart.”

Next, you see dozens and dozens of comments from his fans, declaring their support and love for him and his work.

Your blog hardly has any views, you only have a sparse number of followers, you rarely get comments (if you do, it's usually from that troll called _Spoinkmyass_ ) and you've never received fanart. Your face falls with gloom at this thought; your esteem has being whittled away into nothingness in an instant.

“So what?” Jace is quick to cheer you up, but you give him an exasperated look and continue to look at the information provided.

Tanner’s videos channel received fifty thousand views on average. His most popular upload is a video with one million views where he spent one entire night in Lavender Tower. The next most popular upload is a video where he traversed through the Old Chateau in Eterna Forest. He’s debunked a lot of allegedly haunted places all over the world, attributing it to ghost-type pokemon.

“You gotta be kidding…he’s a skeptic, which is the last thing we need,” you grunt under your breath. “Damn, I should’ve known. I had this weird feeling about Rose, like it was too good to be true. This isn’t surprising of him at all.”

“Now what do we do?”

“Well, we’re already here…let’s see this through.”

Jace gulps. “Okay.”

You return to the men and the security guard briefs you on the recent happenings but the dynamic duo decide to set the camera rolling and before Horace can say anything, the camera is focusing on you.

“Hey, do you mind if we collaborate?” Tanner asks.

“I don’t really collaborate…”

“Suit yourself then,” Tanner looks mildly displeased with the rejection. “Well, we’re going to be filming anyway. You don’t mind, do you?”

“No.”

“Great!” Turning to Cole, he says, “Let’s begin.”

“Got it,” Cole replies, and he fixes the camera appropriately, a little red light goes on. You assume it’s recording now.

Tanner clears his throat and tidies his hair before he puts on a huge grin. “Hello fellow debunkers!! And welcome back to my channel. How are ya? Tanner here tonight, with another exciting ghost-bunking mission!” Tanner exclaims, and you can’t help but inwardly groan as you watch him. “Tonight, we’ve been invited to an art gallery that’s rumored to be haunted. As usual, it’s just me and my best friend Cole – but we actually have a few guests with us today.”

On cue, Cole swiftly navigates the camera to focus on Horace who blinks blankly at the duo. “Oh, uh…hello, hi.”

“This is Horace. Horace, do you mind telling us what you do and can you share a few words about this place and what’s been going on?”

“Yeah, so… I’m one of the security guards here. Last night…maybe around two am, I was making rounds and I heard this weird banging noise on the wall, in there-“

He points to the doors behind you, where you’re supposed to be investigating.

Horace says, “I went in and checked the whole area but nobody was there. It didn’t stop, it just grew louder and louder and it moved, like it started at the end of the hall and it came closer to me. Then a chair flew across the room. Whatever it is, it’s mean and angry."

Tanner thanks Horace for the introduction and the information, the camera still rolling.

“Well, this is where I’m supposed to leave you guys.” Horace adds, “I’m the only one on watch duty tonight but I’m going to be outside so I don’t bother your investigation. You can reach me using this walkie talkie so keep this on you at all times so you can contact me,” he proceeds to hand you and Tanner each a small and sleek black device. “I’ve kept it tuned to mine but if you’re worried, the channel is eighty-two, got it?”

“Things just got interesting, folks.” Tanner says to the camera with a wink.

“I need to keep the building locked though because we don’t wanna let anyone else in, you know, in case of burglars…some of the stuff here is worth millions...so let me know when you want to leave and I’ll unlock the doors for you.”

With that, Horace wishes you luck and excuses himself and you watch him pad towards the entrance with Clefki, watching the light of his torch gradually disappear and you and Jace and the Ghostbunkers are standing in darkness.

Cole stops recording and Tanner finally drops his smile, turns to you and says, “Are you really an exorcist?”

“I’m not an exorcist,” you reply with a shake of your head.

“What with Bob the Builder?” Tanner gestures to Jace and his getup.

“Bob the-?! What?! I’m her assistant,” Jace barks, pointing to himself.

Tanner focuses on you again. “Are you some kind of spirit medium? A clairvoyant?”

“No, I’m just a ghost-type researcher.”

“Oh good, at least we’re on the same page,” Tanner says, “It’s most likely a pokemon that’s behind this, don’t you think?”

“It’s too early to say.”

Tanner sighs audibly under his breath, “Well, the art gallery is pretty big. Cole and I can take the left wing and you and your friendo can take the right wing. That means we can get things done quicker. How does that sound?”

You nod. “That sounds alright.”

“As long as you two don’t get in our way, we’re good,” Tanner replies; despite the words, he delivers them with a rather crooked smile.

You and Jace exchange brief looks before you begin to head to the direction of the two double doors that will leads to the right wing.

Meanwhile, Cole focuses the camera on Tanner who eagerly begins speaking to the camera, outlining his steps and what equipment he has tonight with great detail and vigor whilst you and Jace stop at the doors.

“I have a bad feeling about those guys,” you whisper as you switch on your flashlight and unfurl the map.

“If this place is really haunted, I hope the ghost grabs them first,” Jace murmurs under his breath.

"Ready?" you ask.

"Ready," he confirms.

You push open the door; it swings open with a low creak and slowly swings on its hinges. You shine your torches into the dark abyss of the art gallery, your gaze sweeping over the many displays. You will be here for the remainder of the night.

"Good luck!" Tanner yells, a fraction before you step inside, " _You're gonna need it_."

...


	12. The Haunting of Rose Gallery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Jace experience the hauntings of Rose Gallery. 
> 
> (ie, shit hits the fan)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 07.10.2020
> 
> I recently created an account on Spotify and made a playlist for this fic with random music i thought would fit this fic's overall mood/tone but mind you there's rock/indie/instrumental/random songs lol. It's here if you wanna check it out: 
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0AtxANjW6T4JsoABylxOdh?si=trrhYtaMRjGu0u54Td38Lg

** The Haunting of Rose Gallery **

…

…

[There are several alleged haunted paintings in the world.

They are so haunted, that looking at them makes you experience discomfort and odd happenings.]

…

…

It's time to begin the investigation and you allow your eyes to slide to a close, inhaling a deep breath and holding it for a few seconds before you re-open them.

Jace waits patiently for your response as you let out an audible exhale. “I came here earlier during the day and felt it," you say, "It’s still the same. It’s dull…as if there’s something blanketing it and I can’t tell exactly where it’s coming from.”

“So... it’s not a pokemon?”

“No.”

Looking at your map, it outlines the exhibitions of the right wing. The first is the stuffed insect emporium followed by the taxidermy section, the gems and finally, the antiques. Meanwhile, the left wing contains modern art, religious artefacts and locomotion of Galar.

"They took the easy wing!" Jace exclaims.

True, there are less exhibits in the left wing.

“At least we know where the toilets and vending machines are. And Rose is really trusting us not to steal anything,” Jace mutters as he throws his glance around, the long beam of his light hitting the glass cases on display. They all contain random butterflies and bugs fastened down with pins.

“If we steal anything, he’s gonna sue our asses. C’mon, Jace, let’s go.”

“Right behind ya, chuck.”

The two of you meander through the large exhibit, shining your torches on the various elaborate cabinets and peering at the insects that have been carefully and meticulously placed on display for the public. Jace takes some time to go through the signs filled with information available whilst you inspect your surroundings with much alertness. 

"I noticed something about you," Jace says.

"What?"

"You hold your torch like a cop."

You throw your glance to your flashlight which is gripped tightly in your right hand. "...You can tell?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, Graves taught me some techniques."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, like this one," you take the Odd Keystone from your bag and swap your torch to your left hand in a reverse grip, crossing your hands together. "This is called the Harries Technique."

"Hm. Interesting."

You continue your investigation after the brief conversation is over.

Whilst you glance left and right, scanning the linear path in front of you and the ceiling with your torch, Jace is busy looking at the displays with his EMF in hand which isn't picking up particularly strong readings. You use your torchlight to sweep through the area silently, casting dark shadows on the walls. You cannot tell what is more foreboding: where the light doesn’t reach or the encroaching darkness.

You and Jace comb through the insect emporium and butterfly display without hearing or seeing anything and Jace emits a forlorn sigh.

“And here I thought-“

Jace is interrupted; he leaps with fright at the inexplicable noise that has suddenly disrupted and torn through the undisturbed quietness of the gallery like thunder.

You whip your torch to the source of the sound which seemingly originated a short distance ahead of you. It did not sound close at all but it had definitely emitted from somewhere in the right wing. As quickly as it had appeared, it vanishes into nothingness but no sooner had it dissipated, the faint treading of footsteps can be heard.

Holding your breath, you stand with Jace by your side, waiting for something or someone to come rushing towards you in the dark.

Nothing happens, and the steely silence returns.

“I-It’s probably the Ghostbunkers…” Jace is brave enough to break the stillness.

“Let’s keep going,” you utter and he nods shakily.

Jace decides he is no longer in the mood to talk, possibly due to an impending sense of doom and gloom now instilled in mind, and silently trails after you as you both step out of the insect domain and trek through the short passageway that connects the two sections.

The bathrooms are here along with a vending machine, several chairs and two wooden benches for the visitors which are nailed to the floor along with small wooden tables.

It does not take long to pass through and you arrive at the taxidermy territory which is decorated with pokemon that have been stuffed and displayed in positions alongside unnatural backdrops that is supposed to demonstrate their normal habitats.

Jace gawks and swallows down, the lump in his throat sliding his gullet rather wetly.

You throw him a brief glimpse from the corner of your eye. “Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah. It’s just…it’s worse in the dark-”

No sooner had he spoken and the knocking returns, this time with far more force and it is closeby, and on this occasion…it comes in a rhythm that repeats once or twice before a rather heavy blow is dealt on the walls that shakes some of the posters.

Jace yelps in response.

The knocking fades away at once as though Jace’s response has now informed it of your existence and your location.

Once again, you wait but the noise does not stir up. It grows silent in the hall, which you have come to appreciate for silence indicates you are indeed alone, and Jace’s legs begins to tremble when he realises this too.

“I’m a grown-ass man for Arceus’ sake…this is embarrassing…” Jace mumbles despondently for you are not shaken nor are you nervous from the otherworldly noises, and he slaps his face with his palms to focus and the action thoroughly reminds you of Leon before he begins a match.

“It’s not about being a male,” you tell him in an effort to reassure you but Jace smiles at you weakly.

“I really don’t know how you deal with this,” he says with a shiver until a violent thud breaks the silence once more and you and Jace spin on your heels to the source to see one of the wooden tables in the passageway is lying in the middle of the floor.

A low creak follows and you see the door to the male’s bathroom slowly being eased open, the doorknob shaking boisterously until the handle is pressed down and it swings open a few inches or so out of its place and promptly slams back shut on its own accord.

Turning to Jace, you see he is gawking with widened eyes before he lets out an incredulous, weak laugh. 

"There's no draught here,” he says.

"Nope."

“Then…?”

“That’s not it,” you tell him, “It’s like an extension but it’s not really _it_. It’s coming from somewhere else. Let’s get a move on.”

Jace lets out a whine before he fishes his heat vision goggles from his bag and peers through briefly, though he makes no comment about what he sees.

Breezing through the taxidermy section, the presence grows stronger and stronger once you arrive at the jewel exhibit. Jace begins to linger closer to you and you can see he is beginning to sweat profusely though he denies any of the sort whenever you ask him if he is fine.

The gems are more of interest and you proceed to hold your hand out as you pass random jewelry pieces. Jace remains quiet as you make your way round each cabinet until a gold necklace with a weighty chain and a beautiful blue diamond grabs his interest. He promptly stops and inspects the plaque with his EMF in hands, assessing the reading though it is weak.

“Check this out. This is known as the _Diamond of Rose_ , an heirloom of Rose's family and it’s believed to be cursed. It’s been passed through several generations and every single one of its owners died a horrible death. Maybe it’s this?” he mutters, before he checks his EMF again. The reading doesn't change.

You join his side and stand in front of the glass beside Jace to peer at the incredible treasure but shake your head. “Not this one. I don’t feel anything.”

“Okay," he says, sulking.

You continue your search whilst Jace stops at a large crystal with ominous origins but again, you tell him you cannot sense any evil presence emanating from within. He continues scouring through the remaining exhibits until he arrives at a golden mask that is nailed to the wall along with an odd grey stone with a red motif.

“Look, it’s a Yamask’s mask. It’s alleged to cry _blood_ tears.”

You shake your head once again; it’s not the mask either and as you step towards the exit, you realise you are at the end of the Right Wing and yet you still have not found _it_.

“This isn’t right,” you utter, “It’s here but I don’t think it’s in the gallery. I have this strange feeling that Rose didn’t tell me the full details; either he’s testing me or we’re being misled.”

“What do you mean?”

“This sounds weird but I think it’s….coming from _beneath_ us,” you utter, throwing your glance to your feet, “I feel…strange. It’s as if the energy is coming from the floor.”

Jace looks at you blankly as you pull out your walkie and switch it on.

“Horace? Are you there, over?”

The walkie struggles for a few seconds until it clicks. “ _Hello?_ ”

“Horace, how do I get to the basement?”

“ _Basement?? Oh, uh…._ _....Nobody's allowed there. Chairman Rose says that’s off-limits.”_

“It's okay, I can explain to Rose. I need to check the basement, over,” you say sternly.

 _“....Alright, alright… head to the fire exit from the insect emporium…it's the door on the left_ …” As he proceeds to give you the details, he says, “ _Everything okay, over?_ ”

“Yes, everything’s fine.”

“ _I’ll send Klefki. He has the keys_ …”

“Thanks.”

Without a moment to lose, you and Jace hurriedly backtrack and return to the insect display where you find the fire exit door that apparently leads to the basement as Horace mentioned; the door is locked and it’s a staff-only access point and in the distance, a little pokemon bobs along in the air towards you, its keys jangling as it approaches you.

“Thanks, Klefki,” you say, as the pokemon stops before you and trills loudly.

He spins around in a circle before floating over to the pad, sticks one random key inside and promptly unlocks it for you. The door creaks open, revealing a dank and dark corridor full of refuse and overturned furniture along with a staircase that seems to lead far, far down.

Klefki trills again and shakes out an old, rusted key for you from his ring; it appears he will not accompany you inside. You thank the pokemon and he floats away to return to Horace.

"Thanks, Klefki. Be careful now!" Jace calls.

“Let’s go,” you say and he nods, trailing after you.

…

Meanwhile, in Rose Tower, Chairman Rose watches your endeavors using the surveillance camera he has linked to his Rotom phone.

“She’s good,” he mutters under his breath.

…

The corridor leading to the basement has opened a whole different can of worms; inside, you are hit with a surge of overwhelming negative energy and come to a standstill as you wander a few steps in, slamming a palm over your chest to emit a harsh cough.

Jace hurries over to you as you squeeze your eyes shut briefly before you quickly use your torch to scan ahead.

Squinting your eyes, you detect the energy emitting from deep within.

With Jace by your side, you pick up pace and hurry further in, hopping down the steps and once you have arrived at the very end, a lone wooden door seems to be your only way to proceed.

Using Klefki’s key, you unlock the old door and you shine the torch inside.

It’s a small cooling room fitted with two large fans embedded within the wall at the far side of the room facing you, the large blades whirring round in hypnotic fashion. There are no furniture inside, only a single wooden easel which stands in the middle with a medium-sized canvas covered by a white drape which you approach cautiously.

“What is it?” Jace croaks out as he tiptoes behind you.

“I think Rose has an additional piece of art which he didn’t mention, nor does he want anyone to know about. This must be it,” you reply as soon as you arrive in front of the easel; you grab one corner of the drape and Jace braces himself, concerned as to what you may uncover.

On the count of three, you tug on the drape and once it is revealed, you and Jace stare at it, stunned.

The canvas is yellowing, framed in gold…but otherwise, it’s an incomplete painting. Half of the canvas is blank and the other side is slashed with red… the incomplete painting appears to show some sort of building, painted messily in an assortment of seemingly random brushstrokes…and the only colours on the canvas are various shades of red and a tinge of black.

Before you can inspect it further you hear footsteps approaching and you immediately turn round where you see it is none other than Tanner and Cole.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” Tanner mutters as he enters the room and Cole focuses the camera on you two.

“What are you doing here?” you ask, “Shouldn’t you be in the left wing?”

“We finished, nothing happened. It was such a yawn fest,” says Tanner, “Horace told us you guys went canoodling down the basement so we came to check up on you. What’s with the painting?”

“We think this is the source of the hauntings,” Jace says, pointing to the canvas and Tanner and Cole’s eyes widen thoroughly.

“Arceus, what the hell is that supposed to be?” Tanner says with disgust once he receives a good look of the grungy, yellowing canvas, “Cole, are you getting this?”

“Yeah.” 

Next, Tanner throws a glance to a small device in his hand which has begun to buzz frantically, then to you. “Holy marbles, they're right. My EMF is going through the roof.”

“Wait. That's not _it_ ," you say, taking a step forwards.

"What do you mean, that's not it?"

"It's hard to explain, but I can sense things.”

“So you _are_ a clairvoyant? Sheesh. Why'd you say you weren't? Were you born with this power?”

“It’s not a power, it’s...”

“Don’t bother explaining to them,” Jace replies, “They won’t understand.”

“So, it’s kind of like…psychic powers, right? Can you see dead people?” Cole says, before the men begin to snigger. “Can you use this power to predict the lottery numbers?”

"What about tomorrow's weather?"

They laugh harder and you glance at them exasperatedly.

"Good one, T."

You look at them dryly and Jace frowns at them, “If you don’t believe us, that’s up to you. Don’t insult her.”

“We’re not insulting her. It’s clearly a ghost pokemon that’s behind…well, whatever this is,” Tanner says, “Since you claim it’s coming from this painting, then most likely the suspect is a Runerigus. You know they haunt paintings, right?”

“Yes, but..."

“Here. Let the adults through. Watch this, little girl,” Tanner says, and he steps towards the easel, fishes in his pockets and pulls out a lighter which he promptly holds under the canvas.

With a flick of his thumb, a little flame ignites which he begins waving around the bottom of the canvas.

Tanner is careful not to burn the actual canvas though he waggles the lighter around, illuminating the red splodges and it’s enough to elicit a particularly fierce and violent, hollow _bang_ from the canvas.

“Aha, see?” Tanner says with a grin, and he continues moving the lighter left and right until the canvas begins to extend and yourself and Jace stare with disbelieving eyes as it begins to contort and stretch as the canvas continues pushing as though there is something trapped underneath it and an anguished, low cry erupts from within.

Tanner continues this harassing behavior until a large and dark shadow promptly jumps out and he steps backwards.

Having successfully lured the culprit out, Tanner switches the lighter off as the massive grey creature lands before your group, emitting a growl of rage.

As Tanner predicted, it’s a Runerigus.

The pokemon resembles mismatched slabs of rock joined together by shadowy appendages and its pulsing with dark energy. With a grin, Tanner pulls out a pokeball from his pockets and tosses it to reveal his Weavile.

You and Jace can only stare as he proceeds to engage it in battle, with Cole capturing the entire battle on camera. When the Runerigus is weakened, Tanner throws an empty capsule at it and the ball clicks shut effectively, indicating he has captured it and you and Jace continue to gawk as Tanner collects his new prize.

“See? As I said, it’s a Runerigus. Looks like this one enjoys nothing but scaring poor and unsuspecting people with cheap tricks,” Tanner says, slotting Runerigus’ ball into his bag, “There we go, mystery solved. This one is sure to make the fans go crazy. Let’s go, Cole.”

With that, Tanner and Cole turn to leave, and you and Jace are left in the basement.

“….Is that really it? It was a bit too easy, right?” Jace asks.

You nod.

“And they really seem like they can’t be bothered,” he mutters under his breath, “It's like they wanted to get it over and done with, get the money and go home.”

You and Jace spare a quick glance at each other following his words before you’re hit with another overwhelming surge of negative energy that knocks the wind out of you and you almost drop to the ground until Jace catches you by the arm.

“Whoa, are you okay?” Jace asks, as you promptly whip your head to the painting.

“Something’s wrong,” you utter, “It’s gotten stronger.”

As Jace lets go of you, you carefully inch towards the painting. It appears intact despite Runerigus jumping out and you inspect it closer, staring inquisitively at the bumpy, uneven surface of the red splodges. If Tanner and Cole didn’t interrupt, you could have done a more thorough analysis.

“This isn't paint,” you remark after your brief scrutiny, "It's blood."

Jace groans aloud, smacking a hand over his forehead and dragging it down, “Fuck this shit."

Seemingly underwhelmed by the revelation, he strolls to the back of the easel where he sees an old and worn plaque fastened on it. “Ah, here we go. It says it was painted by Edward Rose. Edward Rose was one of Rose's ancestors who suffered from an undiagnosed illness. Complaining of hearing noises and seeing apparitions, Edward Rose found a way to express himself through painting as he continued to suffer severe hallucinations...although art appraisers have commented that this particular piece has been painted with blood and human hair. The canvas is made out of human skin.”

“Edward Rose?” you mutter.

“Really, chuck? From all that horrific stuff I just read out and you’re interested in _Edward Rose_? Not the fact that this grotesque murder picture right here is painted using _human blood, hair and skin_??? What in the bloody hell was Rose thinking, keeping this thing here?? No wonder the art gallery is haunted!”

You ponder to yourself, hand under your chin. “You’re right. It’s the reason why this is happening. Rose said Edward Rose was an art lover and a treasure hunter. Technically, all the antiques in this museum belong to him, but Rose didn’t tell me he was a painter too.”

“Let’s bless the evil shit outta this murder picture,” Jace growls, with far more enthusiasm compared to earlier on.

“It’s too late,” you say, shaking your head, “Remember I said I felt something which was dull and blanketed? It's gone now. I think Runerigus was preventing something from escaping.”

“So what are we gonna do?”

“Let’s burn it,” you say, pulling out your own lighter from your pockets and flicking it on; as Jace splutters about the canvas still being Rose's property and all, you murmur a quick chant under your breath and move the lighter to the corner of the canvas anyway.

You watch the flame catching on but nothing happens; it spreads across a small portion of the canvas but the surface continues to remain intact. 

You and Jace stare, puzzled.

“It’s covered in flame retardant,” you utter, “Someone doesn’t want it destroyed.”

…

Meanwhile, Tanner and Cole make their way towards the entrance, taking photos with various exhibits until they reach the passageway.

“Ah, hold it right there,” Tanner says with a groan, “I gotta take a leak.”

Cole sighs, “Hurry up.”

He wants to get out of here. Not only is it spooky, but he cannot shake off the feeling that he is being watched. It started from the moment they captured Runerigus.

“Whatever,” Tanner grunts, before he pushes open the door to the male’s bathroom and disappears within.

Cole is left on his own.

He checks his wristwatch to see it is a few minutes past midnight. At first, he waits patiently, glimpsing around the dark corridors, at the glass displays. The vending machine is switched off. The visitor’s benches are empty. It is completely silent. He cannot even hear the weird kids they left behind. Maybe he should’ve offered to return to the entrance with them?

Sighing, Cole decides to take a look at his camera to go through some of the footage. The photos are the easiest to go through so he switches to view mode and begins rifling through, starting with the most recent photos.

They are all photos of Tanner under night vision so his silhouette is a pasty green shade and his eyes are two glowing orbs in the darkness.

As Cole continues to flick through the photographs, he slowly comes to realise Tanner is not _alone_ in the photos.

Cole believed it was a trick of the eye at first but the more he goes through the photos, the more he sees the grinning face lurking in the dark, hovering mere inches from Tanner’s left shoulder.

To his horror, Cole sees this face sneering at him in every photo he has taken of Tanner and he abruptly rises from his seat in shock.

“Tan, we have a problem!” he exclaims, to utter nothingness.

Tanner is still in the bathroom.

Checking his wristwatch once more, Cole discovers he has left his friend on his own for almost seven minutes.

“What the hell is taking him so long…” Cole grunts under his breath, before he balls his fist and thumps on the door. “Tan?”

There is no response.

“Tan!!” he yells, a little loudly this time, before he does the most logical thing which is to open the door and enter the bathroom only to come to a jarring halt.

It is empty.

The three stalls face the door and two doors are open except one. Stunned, Cole can only take a few steps limply inside before glancing to his left and right to the bidets and sinks. He makes his way to the stall with the closed door and knocks on it.

“Tan.....?” Cole croaks out, "Are you in there? This ain't funny, dude..."

As the door swings open with a gentle creak, Cole holds his breath but to his confusion, this stall is empty and he turns round and-

"BOO!"

Cole emits a high-pitched scream and collapses against the door with fright as Tanner cackles with laughter. He stands at the sink, arm curling over his belly as he doubles over with a wheezy chortle. "Real mature, Tan."

"You should've seen your face! That was so-"

_BANG._

Tanner leaps, having been taken off guard by the noise.

"What was that?" he casually tiptoes to the door and plants his ear against the surface. "That came from outside."

Without waiting for Cole, Tanner slips out of the bathroom and the door swings shut in his wake.

"Goddamnit, will you wait for me?" Cole moans, and he is left to sigh and to pick himself back up when it's clear Tanner will not be returning for him; he pulls himself off the floor and wipes the sweat off his brow, briefly checks his reflection in the dark. With another sigh, Cole waddles to the exit, pulls open the door and steps outside. "Tan, the photos-"

He is met with silence.

"....Tan?"

Cole stares at the vast and empty passageway before him; Tanner is nowhere to be seen. 

From the corner of his eye, a shadow briefly flits between one of the displays closest to the seated area and disappears to the other side of the room, behind another display.

"Tan...? Is that you?"

It's Tan, right?

Cole's feet move on their own accord. His stomach is beginning to clinch, his gut churning with a swirl of trepidation as he inches closer and closer to the display where the figure had vanished into.

"Tan...?"

Footsteps trample loudly behind him.

Cole whips round at once.

There are two displays that stand close together.

Between the gap, a pale face peers at him for a split second or so, its expression contorting into a sneer, before vanishing into the darkness. His blood turns cold as he stands limply, contemplating what he'd just seen.

And somewhere in the distance, a chair falls to the ground on its own.

….

Rose lounges on his comfy settee with a new glass of wine, watching the surveillance video that directly feeds to his Rotom. The researchers aren’t aware he’s watching them, of course. There’s sound included so he can see and hear everything; the Ghostbunkers and the Pokemon Researcher and her assistant had decided to split up to investigate.

As Rose observed from the safety behind his CCTV cameras, he saw a few items of furniture flying out of their respective places and onto the floor on their own accord and he saw the pokemon researcher and her friend freeze up on the spot and shine their torches along the empty halls only to see nothing except upturned chairs and doors opening on their own.

“ _Help!_ ” it’s the camera man. He’s come rushing up to the remaining two who have now left the basement and returned to the right wing, “ _Tan is missing!!_ ”

Rose is briefly interrupted when there is a knock on the door and he says, “Come in.”

The door is pushed open and Leon steps inside. “Chairman Rose.”

“Ah, good evening, Leon,” Rose glances away from his phone and smiles gently at the champion. Talk about bad timing. “Finished for the day?”

“Yes, I just completed my training and-” Leon replies, until Rose’s Rotom phone blasts your voice out as clear as day:

“ _Calm down, tell us what happened.”_

Eyes wide, Leon gestures to Rotom and says, “Is that…?” he utters your name and Rose nods.

“I’m just checking up on their progress…but things aren’t looking too good; it seems they've encountered a problem,” Rose utters with a sigh, before he rises from his seat, “One of the ‘Ghostbunkers’ have gone missing. I’m going to head to the art gallery right now.”

However, Leon is quicker to react.

"I'll go too," he immediately spins on his heel, speedily exiting the penthouse when he realises you may be in peril.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I did not realise how desensitised to horror reader actually is. Whilst Jace is clearly spooked, reader has literally no reaction.
> 
> 2\. Apologies for having to use OCs here, but I couldn't think of any Pokemon character from the game or the anime that would fit the role of two unfortunate characters that are Tanner and Cole.
> 
> 3\. Shout out to Grelle_Belle_1945 who mentioned Runerigus! Indeed, Runerigus did play a part in this case.


	13. Edward Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You make an error of judgment and Leon witnesses for himself the extent of what your work encompasses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 14.10.2020
> 
> I'm more of an action/adventure person, and here is where things go to wtf level and I wonder to myself how I incorporate the fluff into this story and...well, THIS :/ This chapter is horrific. Also, some folk on my Tumblr have suggested reader to get really hurt so I just had to deliver.
> 
> WARNINGS: Gore, blood, vomit and scenes you might find graphical/disturbing.

** Edward Rose **

…

…

[Ezra’s Notes on Exorcism Tools:

1\. _The Odd Keystone._ A peculiar stone bestowed to me by the diocese. Quintessential in capturing evil spirits that cannot find salvation and are cursed to wander the earth for eternity (I’m surprised they didn’t ask for it back). It is 'activated' by latin exorcism prayers. If the number of contained spirits reach one hundred and eight, a pokemon will form, ie, _Spiritomb_.

2\. _The Khira Dagger._ This small, hand-held dagger was used in rituals and sacrificial ceremonies, with roots dating back to the 8th century. It has absorbed so much blood that its power transcends any other. It kills spirits, evil or good. Try to refrain from using this unless you’re dealing with a powerful adversary (again, I’m surprised they didn’t ask for it back).]

…

…

The sound of rapid footsteps approaching can be heard echoing along the dark hall and you and Jace both turn to the source only to be greeted with an ashen-faced Cole.

“Help! I need help!” he exclaims, clearly in distress. He comes to a grinding halt before you and puts his hands on his knees with his head low, panting.

“Are you alright?” Jace asks, as Cole struggles to regain his breath.

You give him a moment or so until his face finally returns to its normal colour and he squeezes his eyes shut before he cries out, “Tan is missing!”

You’ve never seen a grown man look so panicky and hysterical before. “Calm down, tell us what happened.”

“He went to the bathroom and several minutes passed, and he didn’t come out so I went in to check in on him and he tried to scare me but then there was this loud noise outside and he left to check. When I went out, he was gone – there’s no way he could’ve just vanished into thin air so quickly like that, you know? And I was calling his name and saw this shadow run past, I followed it-“

As Cole rambles, he becomes increasingly louder.

“But then I heard footsteps behind me and between these two displays, I saw this face-“

“A face?”

Cole nods and Jace throws you an alarmed glance. “I saw it in the pictures we took. It was following us!”

“Show me these pictures,” you say, and Cole switches on his bulky digital camera, fumbling with a few buttons and switching to view mode where he mutters and mumbles under his breath until he finds the designated pictures. “Here.”

You scoop the camera out of his grip and go through the snapshots under Cole’s instruction; you see an array of photos of Tanner taken when they were on their way to leave the gallery via the right wing. There are a couple of so photos of Tanner striking funny poses in the taxidermy section.

Cole does not fail to point out the grinning face in the darkness that he’d noticed appear in numerous photos he had taken of Tanner after capturing Runerigus.

You peer curiously at each of these photos where you see the face that appears in every picture. Whether it’s above Tanner’s shoulder, head, on his left or right, it is always _there_.

“And you noticed this after you found us in the basement and after Tanner captured Runerigus,” you reaffirm, and he nods again. You hand him the camera wordlessly.

“The damn asshole won’t pick up his phone either,” Cole growls.

“What should we do?” Jace asks.

“Call Horace. Get all the lights switched back on so we can start looking for Tanner.”

“O-okay, I can do that…” Cole utters, before he fishes out the walkie talkie and pushes on the button; it fizzes weakly before it goes silent and he takes this as an indication to speak. “Hello? Horace? Are you there, over?”

He lifts his finger off the button and waits, but there’s no response.

Cole tries again. “Horace? Can you hear me, over. Can you switch all the lights back on, please?”

Still no response.

“…I’ll go find him,” Cole says with a sigh, “I’ll go through the left wing, it’s quicker that way. There’s no use just hanging around here. I’ll keep in contact with you through my walkie.”

“Are you sure?” you ask, and he nods.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Cole replies, “You guys gonna stay here?”

“We’re going to investigate a bit more,” you say whilst Jace looks unsure.

“Okay, see you in a bit. Arceus…Tan, you better be okay…”

You watch Cole’s retreating back as he disappears towards the direction of the left wing and it’s just yourself and Jace once more.

“Where do you think Tanner is?” Jace asks.

“He could be hiding somewhere.”

“Yeah, he must’ve seen the ghost and bolted for it!”

“Possibly,” you mutter, before you unzip your bag and rifle through, picking up the Odd Keystone you had received from Leon earlier.

 _How is this going to work,_ you think to yourself, as you return the Odd Keystone safely back inside; you opt for a small and dirty gold dagger with a thin blade the length of your hand that is engraved all over with strange symbols. You carefully place it into your inner jacket pocket to conceal it but Jace sees it anyway.

“A knife!?”

“No, a khira dagger,” you say quickly, revealing the small blade, “It doesn’t hurt humans, only spirits. Watch.”

You proceed to stab the blade into your awaiting palm but nothing happens, the sharp blade doesn’t penetrate your flesh and skin at all even when you bring the blade down again and again and Jace gawks in bewilderment as you lift your intact hand, wiggling your fingers.

“See?” you say, “I don’t really want to use it, but I’m concerned. If Graves found out about this though, he’d confiscate it so don’t tell anyone.”

Jace chuckles. “Your secret’s safe with me!”

“Thanks, Jace-“

You are both briefly stopped in your actions when you hear the distinct sounds of clanging metal above your heads which makes you look up.

The noise continues, identical to someone with a rod and banging on metal, and you shine the torch at the ceiling. It’s coming from the ventilation and the noises are heading towards the direction of the left wing.

“…Do you think Cole made it out okay?” Jace asks, and you purse your lips.

“I’ll go check,” you say, “Jace, stay here.”

“No way! I’m coming with you.”

“…Alright fine, let’s go,” and you both begin to follow the sounds which are heading towards the direction of the left wing where up ahead, you hear a loud cry of pain.

Hastening your pace, you and Jace rush to the scene as quickly as your feet can carry you until you see Cole a short distance away. He is lying on the floor, though he is not alone for a figure can be seen squatting over his body, emitting guttural and choked croaks and grunts.

You and Jace go to a skidding halt on your heels, shining the torch on the figure who whips round with a feral hiss.

It’s Tanner, yet his eyes are wild and crazed, with lips pulled backwards so tightly they appear to reach his ears. His teeth are clenched together into a grisly and never-ending, distorted grin of malice, his nostrils and mouth drenched with blood. Hot tears stream profusely down from the corners of his eyes and over his cheeks, mingling together with the blood.

“ _H…help muh_ …” he manages to grunt out, squeezing his eyes shut for a brief second.

Rising to stand, his body jerks and twitches fiercely. He takes a step forwards, then immediately doubles over, groaning and heaving before he proceeds to vomit, large splashes staining the pristine floor before he begins plodding towards your direction with his arms stretched out, fingers bent into claws.

You’re seized by Jace before you can react; he mutters a string of obscenities whilst the possessed man rampages after you, shrieking and screaming unintelligibly.

“This way!” Jace yells, as he drags you down the hall.

Your heartbeat begins speeding up as Tanner’s hysterical, gnarled screams of agony assaults your ears, along with the violent thudding sounds of hands and feet meeting the floor. Too disturbed to look over your shoulders, Jace reaches for Joltik’s capsule and releases his pokemon.

“Joltik, use Electroweb!!” Jace commands, and the little yellow bug glows brightly before shooting a large spiderweb filled with crackling electricity towards Tanner’s direction.

You throw a quick glance to see the web ensnaring the man but it does little to stop him. He has made no effort to evade and drops to the ground as the web tangles him up and he begins crawling whilst snarling and gnashing his teeth ferociously, dragging himself towards you, reaching with outstretched arms.

“Good job, Joltik,” Jace says, as the little bug trills in response.

You run aimlessly through the gallery, listening to the horrendous noises which are still growing closer and closer until Jace suddenly lets out a yelp. You turn briefly to see he’s been grabbed; you cannot believe your eyes - Tanner has rid himself of the electroweb and he has caught up so quickly – and Jace is promptly tossed high in the air with Joltik stuck to his shoulder and you watch helplessly as he slams against the wall of one of the taxidermy displays and drops to the ground, unconscious.

“Jace!”

As Tanner proceeds to lunge at you, he’s quickly fended off by a dark beam of energy.

Gengar floats in the air, grinning wickedly before he glances at you and nods; he’s got your back.

The possessed Tanner rolls upright, hisses and scrabbles away, disappearing into the darkness.

Your legs tremble as you scan the surrounding area with your torch but he has vanished; all that is left of him is a bloodied trail which vanishes in one corner.

A loud clunk from above grabs your attention and you shine the torch to the source to see that the iron vent on the ceiling has been pried open.

Gengar returns to your side and you exhale shakily.

“…Thanks Gengar, can you check up on Jace and Joltik, please?”

Fumbling for Mimikyu’s capsule, you release her and she looks up at you expectantly.

“Mimi, can you check up on Cole, please? And please return to the entrance and ask Horace to turn on all the lights.”

“ _Leave it to_ …mi.” Mimikyu says, imitating a salute motion with one shadowy tendril from its mouth.

You smile at your pokemon; though they are rather reluctant to leave your side, you confirm your instruction with a firm nod.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I know what I’m doing. Meet me in the basement once you’re done.”

Gengar and Mimikyu acknowledges your commands and everyone parts way; Gengar floats away to where Jace and Joltik were tossed, Mimikyu heads for the direction of the left wing whilst you make your way towards the door that will lead to the basement.

You’re going to destroy the damn thing.

Along the way, you check for any airducts and vent shafts and you remain on high alert for any strange noises and signs of Tanner, using your torch to sweep the area before proceeding.

The path is clear and the basement door lies ahead and when you shine the torch on the ceiling to the air duct nearby, you see it is closed.

Without further hesitation, you head over until a brutal force from behind rams into your back and you’re shoved away from the door and to the wall, your head smacks hard against the concrete and you drop to the floor, your torch clattering out of your hand. Your mind reels as your vision slowly grows black and your eyes slide to a close.

Drifting between consciousness, a wet and cold grip seizes your ankle and you’re slowly pulled out of your spot.

You slump over the uninviting floor and as you groan and mumble and mutter, the grip tugs on your ankle again.

You slide forwards and stop briefly.

Then you slide again.

And stop.

You’re being dragged.

Groaning, you muster the strength to open your eyes and stare groggily at the ceiling above you before you lift a hand to the side of your head and press your fingertips over your skin. You are bleeding.

You see Tanner with his back to you and his hand curled around your ankle which is lifted in the air, pulling you towards the direction of the basement. You struggle but you’re wracked with pain, your head throbbing.

Your eyes slide to a close…

…and you wake up by a searing hot stab of pain and you begin screaming uncontrollably, your eyes darting around your surroundings.

It’s the room with the fans and the easel and the accursed canvas and the sounds of flesh squelching and blood gurgling forces you to whip your head to the side where you see Tanner bent over you, biting down ravenously on the flesh of your forearm. As you scream and flail, he looks up, his crazed and possessed eyes meeting yours.

With a mouthful of blood, he slowly shuffles up and away from you, and you gape as he drags himself to stand limply in front of the easel with his shoulders slumped.

The incomplete painting awaits; he regards it for a moment before he begins to dab his fingers into his bloodied mouth and slaps his fingers and palms onto the canvas, smearing your blood over the surface.

You stare at the scene in horror and shock, your eyes widening as he begins to paint.

Slowly, you begin to inch yourself away towards the direction of the closed door as quietly as possible so not to alert the possessed man. Gengar and Mimikyu haven’t come to find you, so you doubt you’ve been unconscious for long. As you drag yourself across the floor, your arm is a bloom of red, brimming with pain and discomfort and bleeding abundantly from where he’s bitten into you.

He stops, having run out of blood and turns round, his crazed eyes pinned on your helpless form on the ground and you inch backwards as fast as you can, struggling away on your elbows.

“Edward Rose, I know it’s you,” you hiss. Lifting yourself off the floor to stand, you cradle your bleeding arm, panting heavily, “You want to finish your painting, right?”

“…. _Need more blood…not enough blood_ …” Tanner utters but it’s not his voice, it’s deep and darker.

Without a second to spare, he lunges at you but you reveal the small dagger that you’ve managed to keep safe and thrust the sharpened tip towards his chest but one huge fist grabs your arm and the other seizes your throat and proceeds to squeeze down on your windpipe. You grunt as he slams you against the wall and lifts you high into the air.

You struggle violently as his hand closes around your neck and wrist firmly; with your remaining hand, you clench your fist tightly and begin beating against his shoulder.

Struggling for breath, Tanner’s manic gaze meets yours; his distorted grin is incessant, his pupils are dilated as he hisses and rasps unintelligibly, your ears ringing with discomfort from the grating noise.

You shake and flail as much as you can, your ravaged arm sweltering with pain.

The pressure on your neck increases, the howling grows more and more deafening, your mind grows dark and dreary, your clenched hand on his coat is growing loose.

This must be it, you think to yourself, and you wonder how sad it is that this is how you will meet your end because you didn't think this would how it would end until Tanner abruptly jerks backwards and you are freed from his clutches. You drop to the ground, coughing and choking and gasping for precious air.

You didn’t hear the door open.

Glancing up, you see it is none other than Leon holding the man back. Charizard is by his side, too.

“Leon!!” you cry breathlessly with widened eyes, “Charizard!”

“Are you okay?!” he exclaims, and you force a nod. “Arceus, what’s wrong with him? Has he gone mad?”

“No, he’s just possessed,” is your reply.

As Leon holds Tanner back, having successfully wrenched the possessed man off you, Charizard waddles to your side to inspect you.

However, there’s no time to waste. As Charizard helps you off the ground, you grab your dagger with renewed grip and lunge forwards as Tanner fights and resists Leon thoroughly, screaming and flailing viciously in his hold. You quickly swing your arm forwards with the dagger and Leon’s eyes widens at your action.

He’s never seen you like this. You must look deranged, you think; your eyes must rival the possessed Tanner – wild, manic and desperate. You’re completely soaked in blood, your teeth clenched together firmly as adrenaline pumps furiously through your veins.

But you want to finish this.

An estranged cry of distress erupts from Tanner’s throat.

“ _Stop!_ ”

And you pause, the tip of the dagger an inch from his chest.

“ _Please….no_ ….” he croaks out, his voice strained and heavy and belonging to none other than Edward Rose, “ _H…he….help me…I want to…finish the painting_ …”

Leon is baffled by the entirety of it all but you cannot spare the time to explain; he looks at you incredulously as you stare at the sobbing man in his grip with widened eyes. Your shaking arm slowly lowers, the dagger returning to your side.

“…. _Please…please_ …” he begs, squeezing his eyes shut. Tears leak uncontrollably from the corners of his clenched eyes. A mixture of Tanner’s and Edward Rose. “ _It is almost…finished…just a few strokes_ … _please_...”

An unsettling silence fills the room as Leon throws you another alarmed glance, then at the man in his grip.

“What is it?” you ask, panting heavily and sucking in noisy breaths, pointing a shaking finger to the painting. Your heart beats furiously, your knees trembling. “What is that meant to be?”

“ _A map_ … _I hid something_ … _a treasure_ …”

As Tanner continues to sob, you step backwards as you sweep your hand through your messy hair in disbelief. Leon waits for your response as you pace the floor momentarily before you nod weakly.

“…Fine,” you reply, “But you have to vacate this body at once…I’ll allow you to use mine instead.”

“What?” Leon exclaims.

“It’s okay, Leon. Trust me.”

Whilst the Champion gawks at you, Tanner nods, grateful.

“ _Oh…thank…you_ …”

Clearly confused by this entire ordeal, Leon cannot help but watch; you’re relieved he doesn’t attempt to step in, nor does he waste time by questioning everything that’s happening.

Tanner emits another anguished moan and as he convulses violently under Leon’s hold, a murky, dark mist expels from his body, rising from his shoulders and chest in tangled wisps.

He croaks with pain and Leon eventually releases him as the man continues choking and grunting excruciatingly. His throat rattling loudly, Tanner dips to the side with his arms taut and retches, mouth stretching wide open to violently regurgitate another mixture of vomit, blood and a strange, yellowish-white substance that resembles phlegm.

Then he drops to the ground, eyes closed. He is out cold.

“…Ectoplasm,” you mutter, as Leon stares with widened eyes and Charizard snorts loudly with disgust. “Think of it like….ghost residue.”

Despite your explanation, Leon and Charizard look incredibly baffled as you drag yourself to stand properly, hopping on one leg and throwing a glance to the unconscious Tanner before you glance at the awaiting shadow that hovers in mid-air before you.

“I’ll be right back,” you tell the Champion as the shadow slinks forwards.

“Wait!” Leon yells, but the shadow proceeds to envelope you.

He watches as you sway on the spot with your eyes closed before he murmurs your name anxiously.

Your eyes re-open slowly a few seconds later although your gaze, now empty and not belonging to you, sweeps past Leon. You hardly bat an eyelid to his presence and proceed to plod towards the direction of the easel, staring lopsidedly at the canvas before you throw your glance to your bleeding arm. You start to sink your fingers into your torn flesh and once they’re soaked, you begin to apply your bloodied fingertips over the canvas.

Leon calls your name again but you don’t respond.

He observes you painting for a few minutes, your eyes empty as you drag your fingers over the board in a hypnotic but expert fashion.

The stench of blood is strong in the air, the metallic, coppery smell assaulting his nose and Leon grows concerned as continuous drops of blood stain the ground from the tips of your twitching fingers. Charizard growls lightly to elicit some form of response from you but there’s not much the pokemon can do.

When you’re finished, the painting has taken form and has become clearly distinguishable to resemble a monument which Leon is quite certain he has seen somewhere in Rose’s manor.

With the painting completed, Leon watches you carefully. The atmosphere in the room is tense, as he waits for your next move; however, he was not expecting your body to abruptly jerk violently and he takes a cautious step forwards, reaching for you as you shudder on the spot, eyes twitching.

You throw your arm out, halting him.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

Mustering a minute shake of your head, your eyes squeeze shut and you emit a low groan.

"What is it?" he tries again.

You merely groan.

Leon says your name and what he perhaps feared finally happens: your face contorts, your expression turning dark.

“He won’t leave. _Shut up, you fell for it and willingly let me in, swine, and now you shall suffer_ ; _they shall all suffer_. Arceus, I should’ve known-”

Erupting into boisterous, mocking laughter, you suddenly throw your head back and howl until tears form in your eyes; you drop to your knees with your arms out, facing the ceiling, chin raised in the air, before you wildly scrub your face with your bleeding wound, smothering the dank liquid over your eyes, nose, lips furiously.

"Stop!" Leon yells in response to the macabre display, calling your name again.

You whip your head to him sharply, your chilling eyes wide and glinting under the dim light.

“ _Do not call me that!_ Get away from me, Leon – _My name is Edward Rose!_ Leon, get away from me, now!"

“I won’t,” he says sternly, shaking his head.

" _This body is mine!_ " you scream next, before you bite down on your arm, hard, and draw more blood.

Leon abruptly tackles you to the ground, apologising profusely for his manhandling of you despite your aggressive attempts to throw him off; he successfully pulls your arm free from your mouth and you begin convulsing helplessly, eyes rolled to the back of your head, mumbling and muttering incoherently. Your head bends to one side, your shoulders hunching up and arms going stiff, fingers twisting into curled claws before your back arches off the ground and you begin to grunt with pain.

"Leon-" 

“I’m still here. I won’t leave you, I can’t-”

“ _Futile! I'll tear you apart!”_

And you yelp and yell, your clinched fingers creeping into the sides of your head and hair. A few strands are torn cleanly from your head from your maniacal clawing, your fingernails desperately raking over your cheeks and temples.

In response to your distress, Leon grabs your wrists and pins you to the floor before you can hurt yourself further. 

“Focus on my voice,” he says, remaining as calm as possible, “Please.”

Your eyes clench shut firmly and hot tears stream down your face. Leon continues, asking you to focus on his voice, on him, on yourself, that you're still there and in control and after an ear-splitting shriek, a black shadow is forcibly expelled from your body and shoots into the atmosphere and your body grows weak under Leon’s grip.

Leon moves to wrap his arm around you as your weary body lies limply in his hold, your head rolling to the crook of his elbow as you pant uncontrollably. Leon and Charizard exchange quick glimpses to each other before he carefully shakes you.

Your eyes gradually flutter open and he breathes a sigh of relief. 

“....Leon?” you whimper.

He blinks slowly before he responds with a relieved and reassuring, kind smile which thoroughly warms your heart.

“…Hey,” he says gently, before he finds your bloodied hand and holds it tightly, “you’re back. You did it.”

You scan his features briefly before you return his smile with a thin and weak one of your own. You find you have become incredibly languid and drained and tears begin forming in the corner of your eyes once more and your lip trembles.

"Oh god...I'm so sorry. Did I frighten you?"

"It's okay."

You emit a meek sniff and Leon squeezes your hand tightly.

Having successfully expelled Edward Rose from your body, you cannot afford to let precious time go to waste; the shadow bobs up and down in the air listlessly, seemingly stunned from your forceful expulsion and so you indicate to Leon that there is no time to dither and you must get up. He helps, wrapping an arm around your shoulder whilst clutching your hand tightly though your hands occasionally slip due to the blood on your palms. 

With Leon’s help, you lean on him as he keeps you hoisted whilst you hastily grasp the Odd Keystone from your bag which you proceed to hold up.

“ _Adjure te, spiritus nequissime, per Deum omnipotentem_ ,” you croak, your throat burning.

Despite the weakness of your voice, the keystone is activated and the shadow, having realised its incoming demise, rapidly attempts to escape by flitting across the room, darting to and fro but the brilliant light encompasses it and the Odd Keystone, with a power that surpasses like any other, continues to reel and drag it in. Screeching and convulsing viciously, the shadow stretches and morphs aggressively as it is dragged inside.

Edward Rose's agonising howls and screeches bathe the room and stings your ears until the Keystone sucks him inside, the fissure glowing brightly as it claims another evil soul for itself. The room grows dark and not a sound can be heard. 

You’re aware it’s far from over; Ezra’s words echo in your mind and the keystone begins to glimmer and tremble violently in your grip; heat spreads across the base of your palm, something which the stone has not done before and you have no choice but to drop it.

It does not hit the ground; instead, it zooms back into the air, hovering before you and Leon whilst shining brightly.

“What’s going on?” Leon asks.

“It’s the creation of a Spiritomb,” you reply; the stone begins rapidly spinning in an anti-clockwise fashion in the air, the fissure of the keystone resembling a blur yet it continues to glow brilliantly under the dimness of the room. As the stone whirls, the stillness of the room is penetrated by a thunderous sound.

A purple miasma unravels from the center of the spinning stone as the glowing light fades away and you and Leon watch in silence as the stone spins faster and the strange purple cloud grows larger and larger before the stone comes to an abrupt stop and the creature that has formed finally manifests before you.

It’s Spiritomb, and the stone slowly returns to wobble on the ground; ragged green lines and specks form on its body, its expression contorting into a sinister sneer before unleashing a powerful shockwave that takes everyone off guard.

Leon’s instinct is to protect you, so you find him throwing himself in front of you in a split second, shielding you with his body.

A bright light encompasses the entire room and you’re forced to shield your eyes; when you re-open them, Spiritomb is nowhere to be seen.

Unable to muster the energy to chase after it, you slump against Leon’s chest, your body growing light again. He mutters your name and slowly uses a hand to sweep some of your hair from the frames of your face and tuck it neatly behind your ears before he slides his hand over yours once again. There are ugly bruises on your neck. You are still bleeding from your head and arm.

Though you have the strength to squeeze his hand, he helps prop you up against the wall where you sigh and groan under your breath with agony and exhaustion.

There must be a way to stop the bleeding and his t-shirt seems to be a good way to do so he tears several inches of the hem off and uses it to wrap your tarnished arm, looping it around and around your wound.

“Leon, don’t,” you croak; you receive a sneaky and quick peek of his abs but only just for a second or so, “Your champion shirt…don’t ruin it…”

He merely grins at you reassuringly. “Don’t worry.”

You _really_ do not want Leon to see you like this.

This is the side of your work which you didn’t want him to see.

The ugly side, the dark side.

As Leon finishes tying his shirt around your wound, there is a gentle tug on your arm and you see Gengar; he stands to your left whilst Mimikyu perches herself in your lap. You smile at them weakly as Gengar glances at you worriedly and Mimikyu, rather reluctantly and awkwardly, releases a tendril to pat you on the head.

“Mi mi?” she asks, before she slides her gaze to your bandaged arm, the bruises on your neck and your injuries.

“I’m okay…” you murmur as your eyelids flutter to a close.

With a shuddering exhale, you slowly turn your head to the side, your eyes closing as your breathing grows shallow.

As Leon reaches for you, you are far too fatigued to move anymore; he brushes some loose strands of hair from your face and uses his thumb to brush a tear from the corner of your eye. The warmth from his hand on your cheek is comforting and you sigh again.

“Leon…”

“Yeah?”

“I’m tired…”

Retreating from the side of your cheek, he scoops your hand with his and holds you tightly. Your hand is limp in his hold as he sweeps his thumb over your cold knuckles.

“I’ll get you outta here,” you hear him murmur.

You nod wearily.

Removing his cloak, Leon carefully wraps it around your body despite your protests. He tucks it around you and pulls at the collar to ensure you're warm and covered and once you're completely bundled up, he effortlessly picks you up and off the ground, easing you into his arms. He slides one arm underneath the bend of your knees and the other around the small of your back, ensuring you’re comfortable before he rises to stand.

With you safely in his arms, Leon carries you out of the basement as the lights go on one by one.

…

Rose enters the basement, assessing the damage.

Whilst Leon, the pokemon researcher, her assistant and the Ghostbunkers team have been escorted to hospital, Rose slips into his gallery before the night is over. He calls his cleaning staff to make haste and tidy up the mess they made.

He glances at the completed painting and smiles. Oleana stands behind him with a large black case which she proceeds to open.

“What does this look like to you, Oleana?” he asks.

“It looks like one of the dormers of Rose Manor, perhaps the drawing room. East wing.” Oleana replies stoically.

“My thoughts exactly. And that’s where Edward Rose hid it,” Rose replies. “We couldn’t have done it without her.”

“Agreed, sir,” is Oleana’s remark.

Rose lifts the canvas off the easel and deposits it carefully into the case, closing the lid shut.

Then they leave the basement silently.

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you feel crummy, you have absolutely every right to. Basically you’ve been used and manipulated by Rose.


	14. D R E A M I N G

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whilst being taken to hospital, you dream about your past, the disappearance of your family and the origins of your radio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 21.10.2020
> 
> Thank you for clicking on this chapter 😬 Thanks for sticking around! As you can tell, I’m an experimental person, I like to amaze and disgust lol. 
> 
> I feel a Reader-centric chapter is now due, so we have this. Please be careful when you're reading this on mobile/cell phone - I think the numbers below might appear as a phone number for IOS users. It certainly did for mine lol.

**D R E A M I N G **

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…

…

There’s a strange noise in the bedroom.

Opening your eyes, you struggle to see properly in the darkness of the room; Rosie’s bed stands opposite yours and you see it is empty. She is not in her bed but in fact, standing in the middle of the room in her pajamas, her Teddiursa doll discarded at her feet.

“Rosie?” you mutter groggily, sitting up and flipping on the switch of your bedside lamp, dispelling the darkness. “Rosie, what are you doing?”

Your little sister does not answer and continues to stand and sway, her eyes half-closed.

Sliding out of bed, you hurry towards her and grasp her gently by the shoulders.

“Rosie?”

Her mouth moves but her voice is very soft; as you strain to hear, you make out, “ _Live morf su reviled tub, noitatpmet_ …”

Puzzled, you can only shake her with a little more force in an effort to make her snap out of her stupor as she mumbles and mutters but to no avail, “Rosie!”

The unresponsiveness of the little girl is worrying so you quickly leave the room and slip into your parent’s which is down the hall to the right. You open their door wide and say, “Mum, dad!”

Following your cry of distress is a groan.

A tussle of the covers.

The silhouette of your father pokes out from the sheets. “Wh…what’s wrong?” he says, voice thick with sleep.

“It’s Rosie. I think she’s having another fit.”

Immediately, your mum and dad rise from bed, cursing under their breath as they follow you back into the bedroom you share with your little sister, only to see that she’s fast asleep in bed with her eyes closed and Teddiursa in her grip.

You blink in confusion, and expecting yourself to be scolded, you bite on your lip worriedly but your parents give you a reassuring pat on the shoulders and head over to Rosie’s bed where they sit on either side.

“Rosie?”

Your little sister stirs awake and opens her eyes groggily.

“Hiya sweetie, you okay?”

Whilst you stand in the doorway, Rosie fiddles and fidgets with her doll before she shakes her head.

“I had a bad dream…” she mumbles quietly.

“What happened, sweetheart?”

“…I saw a….a man,” she says, struggling with her words, pointing to the empty corner of the room. “Standing over there, staring at me. He wanted to take me away.”

…

Rosie is five years old.

She’s a smart child who likes dolls and playing tea parties with her Sinistea and Cutiefly, and she has told you and your parents many times that someone is trying to take her away; though she never explains who or what, she describes this unknown entity simply as a 'man’.

Your parents are ghost-type researchers and heavily invested in the supernatural so instead of going to the police to report this, they take you and Rosie to visit a spirit medium who lived far away from Laverre Town. This medium informs your parents that Rosie can see and hear spirits and for that reason, spirits are attracted to her. She tells Rosie to ignore them, not to respond to spirits or else risk drawing attention to herself. Essentially, they are drawn to her like a Venomoth to a flame.

The medium also predicts that you too, will soon be able to heed the spirit’s calling one day.

To your parent’s dismay, she becomes too terrified to speak of this entity which is after your sister, and cannot divulge anything more except it’s evil and not belonging to this world and asks your family to vacate your premises at once.

With no luck and no help, your parents have no choice but to take it upon their own hands to investigate and apply surveillance on Rosie on a twenty-four seven basis.

It’s usually at night-time when bizarre incidents happen, however.

And you hear the noise again at exactly three am.

As you hold your breath and listen, the sound of nails scraping against a board grows louder and louder.

Sitting up, you glance over to see Rosie missing from her bed once again and on this occasion, she is not in the room at all and the door is open. You quickly peel the covers off and rush outside into the cold landing; your attention is grabbed by the little sounds of footsteps and so you peer over the banister where you see Rosie’s pale form idling through the hallway and towards the front door which flings open as she nears.

“Mum!! Dad!!” you yell, as you trample down the stairs. “Rosie, no!!”

She leaves the house, and as you leap off the last step and to the doorway, the front door violently slams shut in your face, the walls of the house trembling in its wake.

Your parent’s bedroom light goes on and they bumble out. “What’s wrong?”

“Rosie went outside!” you yelp, trying your hardest to open the door with the keys but the handle is stuck, as though someone on the other side is holding it down. “It won’t open!”

Your father curses loudly before he joins you, trying to open the door before he angrily thumps a clenched fist against the surface. The door still does not budge and so he rushes to the kitchen where the backdoor is.

“I’ll be back soon! Don’t leave the house!”

Mum nods and as you begin to sob and wail, she brings you into her arms and you clutch onto her, scared and confused by the entire ordeal.

Outside and you can hear your father shouting, his voice muffled and growing distant.

“ _Rosie! Rosie, where are you?_ ”

In the house, you sit down in the lounge with your mother where she asks you calmly to explain what happened. You tell her you woke up at three am because you heard the noise again and you tell her what the sound reminds you of: nails scraping against a chalkboard. Then you saw that Rosie had left the room and so you went out and heard footsteps downstairs. You saw the front door open and she went outside. She didn’t acknowledge you, as though she was in a trance.

Your mother nods and thanks you for your bravery and encloses you in another hug, and you huddle together for a while until the front door opens and dad enters with Rosie in his arms.

You both rush over at once with relief.

Rosie is fast asleep in dad’s arms, seemingly unharmed yet he looks troubled.

“Look,” he says, lifting the back of Rosie’s shirt to reveal claw marks on her skin.

….

“You’re getting all worked up for all the wrong reasons,” says Graves. “It was probably just a wild pokemon. Could’ve been a Drifloon or Drifblim trying to steal your little girl away.”

“We live in the suburbs, there are no wild pokemon in a two-mile radius.”

Graves sighs in response. “It could’ve been your Haunter or Sableye. You saw claw marks, right?”

“Haunter and Sableye have never harmed my family, and they were with me the entire time.”

You and Rosie play together in the living room with Sinistea and Cutiefly whilst Graves and your father sit on the leather recliners, watching the football game with beers in hands. Dad is clearly stressed, his eyes are dark and dull due to a lack of sleep. Mum prepares food in the kitchen. Graves will be staying for dinner.

You’ve never liked him.

He has an aversion to ghost-type pokemon although you and your entire family have a high affinity for (and are thus drawn to) ghost-types. Rosie doesn’t like him either and he often tries to win favor with the two of you by handing out candy. He is unfortunately your father’s best friend and thus your ‘uncle’ and since he's watched you grow up, he inevitably becomes your ‘godfather’ after Rosie’s birth.

Graves is a police officer and with his trusty Growlithe and Manectric, he quickly rose through the ranks to become Inspector of Laverre Town. He is also apparently seeing a woman called Ellen whom you've never met before but from what you gather, they have a strained relationship.

He and your father never get in each other’s way but Graves doesn’t believe in the supernatural and you wonder how they could have been friends for such a long time.

“Let me show you something,” dad says, when it’s half-time.

“But the Primarina Divas are about to come on!” Graves complains as busty, buxom women in blue and white cheerleading outfits come cartwheeling onto the pitch and the audience on TV cheer and scream raucously as they begin their routine.

“Get over here, Chris,” dad says. He’s standing at the door that will lead to the basement.

“Fine…”

Dad glances at you and beckons you to follow so you get up, dusting your palms and knees. “Rosie, go help mum in the kitchen.”

“Okay, sissy,” she says with a giggle, getting up with Cutie and Sinistea, waddling over to the direction of the kitchen.

You follow dad and Graves down the stairs; dad tells you to be careful on your way down as the stairs are steep and when you arrive at the last step, you and Graves stare at the massive pokemon that’s being held inside a glass container.

It’s a Dusknoir.

“I put an advert online if anyone was interested in trading and someone answered it,” dad says as he stops beside the glass container, “I reckon Dusknoir can help with what’s been going on lately. I’ve asked Haunter and Sableye…unfortunately none of them can help me. They don’t know what it is so I’ve resorted to this. Dusknoir should be able to help.”

“…Dusknoir?” Graves says with a brow raised, before he treks over and stops by your father's side.

The pokemon is conscious of your presences, its single red eye rolling left and right between Graves and your father, before it lands on you. And it stares, planting its large hands flat against the surface of the glass as it hovers in the air.

You gulp and take a step backwards once you feel the intensity of its unrelenting stare.

“…Dad?” you croak, but your father has moved to his desk, moving away some old cassette and video tapes to pick up a leather-bound journal which he flips open.

“Yeah. It's known that Dusknoir receive transmissions from _something_ in the spirit world. My theory is that this 'something' is trying to take Rosie and with Dusknoir’s help, I’m going to find out what it is. I could use Dusknoir to communicate with it.”

"Communicate with it?"

"Yes, it receives signals and I've been trying to decode what type it is. I've been trying all sorts... Binary, morse code, satellite radio waves-"

“Dad!” you exclaim.

“What is it?”

“….I think you should release it,” you say quietly, “….It doesn’t look very nice.”

Dad chuckles and walks over to you, patting your head affectionately. “It’s okay, dear. Remember that ghost-type pokemon look scary but they are just lonely and misunderstood creatures, that’s all.”

“Uh, does the wife know?” Graves utters, and dad nods.

“I’ll be conducting experiments down here.”

“…I can’t believe I’m saying this, but…why don’t you just ask Rosie what it is?”

“She doesn’t know, and I’m not putting my daughter in danger,” dad replies; he returns to his desk, puts down the journal and goes through his papers before he picks up a small black device which you can see is a radio.

Graves sighs. “Well…be careful,” he murmurs.

…

Since Dusknoir has joined your father’s pokemon team, albeit being encased in a glass container for the time being whilst he conducts research, you no longer hear the odd noises and there are no more incidents.

You find Rosie playing in the basement one day. She isn’t allowed in dad's laboratory without adult supervision, so you quickly rush downstairs before either your parents could find out and scoop her up and off the ground, her dolls falling out of her grip.

“Ahh, dolly!” she cries, reaching out for them.

You sigh and bend down to quickly pick them up with one hand whilst the other is wrapped around her waist tightly. “Rosie, what are you doing here?”

“He wants to play with me!” she exclaims, pointing to the glass container where the Dusknoir is.

You follow her gaze to see the large Gripper pokemon staring at you and your sister with its hands flat against the glass. It’s silent but its red eye beadily follows your every moment, watching.

You quickly look away from it, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of your gut. “Don’t come down here on your own,” you tell Rosie, but she merely giggles.

“It’s okay, sissy,” she says with a giggle, before she glances at Dusknoir and goes, “Beep boop beep boop,” and she continues for a while but alternating between the noises.

“What does that mean?”

“You mean…Beep boop beep boop...?”

“Yeah.”

“It means… _come play with me_.”

“Huh?”

“He taught me,” she says, pointing to the massive Dusknoir.

“Can he even hear us?”

“Of course he can! But he’s been in a bad mood lately. Beep beep boop boop boop!! That means, ‘I only play tea party, sorry’!”

“And what does, ‘what do you want with my little sister’ mean?”

“Hmm…” Rosie ponders before she says, “Beep boop boop beep beep beep," and again, she continues reciting an extremely complicated and elongated message.

Once she finishes, Dusknoir emits a loud, aggressive roar and slams his fists against the glass repeatedly; you step backwards with fright and with Rosie in your grip, you hurry up the stairs and close the basement door shut behind you.

…

Days pass and Rosie goes to school and you go to school and when you come home, it’s warm and welcoming. Your mother is in the kitchen and she smiles and it’s the most beautiful smile you’ve ever seen and she makes you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and if you knew any better it’s the last one she will ever make for you and she asks you to take one to your dad who is in the garage and chatting to some neighbours and when it’s almost dinner, you both go back into the house and help set the table up and mum asks about school and how it’s going on and she asks you if there’s any cute boys and you shyly think about one particular lad in class who has caught your eye and when dad tries to joins in, you and mum tell him it’s girls only and you laugh and Rosie joins in, wanting to know what’s going on and then it’s time to eat dinner and you’re sitting down at the table with your family and looking around, at their smiling faces, and you look at your plate to see your mum’s made your favourite food and dad’s eating his steak with his weird protein shake again and mum is scolding him whilst Rosie sticks her tongue out with distaste because there’s vegetables on her plate and -

Screaming.

You’re awoken in the middle of the night by _screaming_.

Glimpsing over, you see Rosie’s bed is empty.

This isn’t like the normal nights.

Overwhelmed by a sense of dread, you exit and pass your parent’s room; neither your father or mother are inside.

Downstairs, the basement door is wide open and flashing lights flicker from within.

_Screaming._

That’s where it’s coming from.

I’m here, you want to say. _I’m here._

Each step is heavy, the cold wood under your feet is unwelcoming and chilling to the core. Your house is foreign to you.

In the basement, you make your way down to see the glass container has shattered and a massive swirling vortex of black, blue, purple and white has appeared in the middle of the space.

Dusknoir is halfway inside, feeding the wriggling bodies of your father and Rosie into its mouth.

Your mother lies on the ground, unconscious.

Confused and shocked, you rush towards the huge pokemon.

_Stop!!!_

Your voice is drowned by the noise. It turns to you, its single red eye flashing before an unseen force knocks you off your feet and your back hits the floor, your head slamming hard against the concrete ground.

You wake up when something cold splashes on your cheek and you wrench your eyes open before you sit up with a gasp, glancing around.

It’s quiet.

Your mother sits on the basement floor, her gaze empty.

Dusknoir is gone.

“Mum!” you exclaim.

She slides her eyes to you as you crawl over to her and grab her by the shoulders.

“Mum?”

She does not respond.

You let go of her and glance around the cold and dark basement. “…Dad? Rosie?? Where are you?? Haunter? Sableye?” 

“Gone,” your mum utters, “They’re all gone.”

As you glance at her in bewilderment, she lifts herself off the ground and pads to your father’s desk.

She goes through the papers that have become strewn over the floor and mumbles and mutters and utters under her breath incoherently. She shakes her head repeatedly as she bunches the papers in her hands, muttering ‘no, no, no’ and ‘my baby, my poor baby’ over and over again.

You call out to her but she doesn’t respond.

Therefore, you silently pick yourself up off the floor, leave the basement and phone Graves.

You didn’t know what else you could do.

Graves arrives and it’s almost dawn. He’s brought his partner with him and he enters the house to see you at the door and your mother is surrounded by your father’s papers and obsessively skimming through them whilst seated on the sofa and when he asks what happened, your mother’s ramblings don’t appear to help but when you try to interrupt, Graves isn’t interested in what you have to say or add to the conversation. He leaves your mother in the lounge then heads to the basement, alone.

You sit with her, watching her hysterically pour through the research.

Whilst his partner stays in the lounge with you and attempts to strike up some meaningless small talk, Graves returns empty-handed.

He's confused.

They converse silently and routinely throw you and your mother concerned glances before they split up; Graves checks the rest of the house, inspecting the kitchen, dining room, the bathroom and all the bedrooms upstairs.

He thinks of all sorts of logical reasons why your father and Rosie have disappeared in the middle of the night.

It could have been…

A nasty spat between spouses.

A break-in.

Your mother is the only person who saw what really happened.

He sees that the two of you are badly shaken yet unharmed and drives you to Laverre Police Station to officially take testimony. A search subsequently begins but their outcome is not successful.

When it’s finally your turn to speak to Graves, you have sat in the police station for hours and when you’re brought in the room, it’s intimidating but you tell him what you saw in the basement; Graves stares at you silently the entire time, eyebrows scrunching and lifting everytime you detail how you saw the Dusknoir with your father and Rosie in its clutches and putting them into its mouth when they were still alive.

He remains quiet, doesn’t ask you any questions, doesn’t interrupt. The pen remains untouched by his notepad.

“Kid,” he says, after a pregnant pause following your explanation, “your mother’s said something entirely different.”

It takes a while to register this.

You sit in silence as Graves regards you intensely for a moment before he gets up to leave.

A kind-looking woman with glasses is beckoned in and she plops herself down in Graves’ seat which he has kept warm for her. She adjusts her frames, propping up a manila folder in front of her before she scoops out some documents. She asks you questions which are a little strange because they’re personal and unrelated but you soon realise it’s to assess and revaluate your current mental state. She even has your school records. Unfortunately, the more she asks and the more she doesn’t make any progress with your interrogation and you’re clean but you’re not exempted yet.

Perhaps you have a disturbed mind or Dusknoir devouring your father and sister is a metaphor for a sadistic murderer who has kidnapped them?

“ _After all, if the public finds out a pokemon had devoured two people, there would be madness_.”

And due to the horrific nature of the crime, you had mentally blocked or changed some aspects?

“Why don’t you believe me?” you asked, “Why doesn’t anyone believe me?”

Raising your voice, you slam your bunched fists on the iron table and yell, “What’s wrong with you??? What’s wrong with all you?! I’m telling the truth!! Why won’t you believe me?!”

You receive no satisfactory answer, your words are taken with no seriousness and you and mum are informed to go home whilst the initial investigation goes underway.

“Mum, why didn’t you tell them what you saw? They think I’m lying.”

When you look at her, all the colour has left her face and you begin to feel you no longer recognize her.

“They won’t believe us,” she utters, “We’ll get your father and Rosie back ourselves.”

Stunned by her words, you can only nod limply.

You’re expected to go to school in a few days. By then, your father and sister’s disappearance have hit the tabloids. Everyone whispers and looks at you, in the school, the neighbourhood….you get stared at when you walk through the halls to your next class, you end up sitting alone in the cafeteria during lunch, even the teachers are careful around you. People think they were murdered.

There is nothing about Dusknoir.

And often, you wonder to yourself if it truly was a nightmare.

You miss your father and sister terribly and your mother inevitably begins to obsessively investigate; she spends much of her time in the basement and rarely eats, drink or sleep. 

As the days passed, you become used to seeing her less and less often around the house and though you want to help, your mother brushes you off, asking you to focus on your studies.

Soon, the upkeep of the house falls in your grasp.

You make it a habit to go out to the supermarket and buy food by yourself, dragging a wheeled shopping bag with you each time when you go during the weekends, heading to the ATM when you were strapped for cash.

You look up recipes online and learn how to cook meals for yourself and your mother, leaving food for her on the desk. You eat on your own in the dining room, sitting at the large table, surrounded by three empty seats.

Graves visits as much as he can; he usually talks to your mother but sometimes he sits with you in the living room to watch football whilst your mum slaves away in the basement on her own. He tells you her appearance is turning haggard, which you are aware of.

Worried about her behaviour, you look up various kinds of available therapy which you think will benefit her, spending many late nights on your laptop browsing online and calling up various clinics to enquire but the costs are going to be high so you decide to secure a side gig tutoring some kids to pay for your mother’s treatment, placing an advert online which you didn’t think would get noticed.

Inexorably, your grades begin to fall as you balance your newfound hustle and school. That cute boy in class no longer occupies your mind. You come home late in the evening from your work, exhausted. You stop smiling and overall, you’ve mentally aged.

At night, you lie awake in your bed and glance over to Rosie’s empty bed where the sheets and pillows are unwashed, and you think about that night and you think about it a lot; you wish you could’ve done more and you begin to hate yourself for not paying enough attention to your father’s research and what he was trying to accomplish with Dusknoir. You should’ve done more to help your father. You should’ve studied alongside him.

Rising from bed, you make your way downstairs to the basement where your mother is, hunched over the desk with a black device in hands.

It’s dad’s radio.

“Mum?”

“Yes?”

You walk up to the desk, where you see your father’s old notes which have been collated into his journal with the leather-bound cover. You pick it up and open it, flipping through the pages where you see his handwriting and hold the book to your chest, closing your eyes. There is also a family photo in his study which you pluck out from the stand and hold gingerly in your hand.

On the verge of tears, you croak out, “I want to help. Please tell me how I can help. Please. Talk to me.”

Finally, she swivels round in her seat when she hears you sobbing and for the first time in a while, she embraces you.

She says, “We need to get a Dusknoir.”

Since it started with Dusknoir, your mum entrusts you with this task so you upload another advert and put up a Phantump you had caught beforehand in the PC box and send it on its way to the Kalos GPS.

A few days later, someone answers your advert and you receive a Dusclops through the GPS which evolves into a Dusknoir in process.

Satisfied that you’ve made some progress, you head to the basement with Dusknoir’s capsule in hand, wanting to show your mother. To your surprise, she’s moved from her seat and is clutching the radio in hands, smiling widely.

“Mum?”

She spots you and the smile widens, “They’re alive!” she exclaims.

You can only stare at her, stunned.

“Listen,” mum switches the radio, rotating the small, rounded knob as carefully as she can and you watch the little dial move across the screen.

The crackling static of white noise fills the quiet basement until your mum reaches eighteen ninety-eight hertz and the radio fizzes into life.

“….. _hello? This is- ….I’m in a dark place, and_ ….…”

It is your father’s voice.

As your mum grins at you, you rush over, eyes wide. “Dad? Dad! We’re here!!!”

“…. _I think I’ve been stuck here for three days_ …”

“He can’t hear us,” mum explains when your face falls. “This is a spirit radio, dear. It only works on this frequency, it picks up transmissions from the spirit world, and it’s picked up your father! He’s alive! Alive!!!”

_Alive._

Stiff with shock, mum envelopes you into a hug and sobs and wails with laughter. 

It’s been a while since you’ve seen her happy.

“Mum,” you utter, “I…uh…I got the Dusknoir.”

“Excellent!” mum cries as you hand her the capsule which she holds close to her chest.

“Mum…promise me you won’t do anything stupid,” you say, and she nods but somehow you don’t believe her.

…

“Mum, I’m home,” you say wearily, locking the front door behind you and removing your shoes.

You step inside the lounge only to be met with silence.

“…Mum?”

The lights are still on.

You had gone to work for four hours.

She is possibly in the basement, you think, and so you creep down the stairs only to see it is empty. She’s not in the basement, where could she be?

Your search does not last long as you breeze through the lounge and into the kitchen which is in uproar; the stools have been knocked over, there are various cassette and video tapes lying all over the surface of the counter along with an opened dusk ball. Dad’s radio lies on the floor beside a screwdriver and some scattered parts. You spot his journal and the family photo, which has fallen out from the pages.

“Mum?” you call as you pick up the journal and the radio, your voice echoing in the empty house.

“Mum?”

“Mum!”

“MUM!!!”

“…Mum?”

“Mum, please…”

“Not you too.”

Did your voice always sound so sad?

…

Professor Magnolia and Sonia enter the ward.

A girl in a white gown sits at a table with a Sinistea and Cutiefly perched on her shoulders, staring morosely at various untouched chess pieces on the surface. Her eyes hold no life, her hair unkempt, her face a grim portrait of melancholy.

There are other patients but they walk around aimlessly or yell or wail and talk to themselves and Sonia huddles close to her grandmother, wondering why she is in such a scary place.

They don’t come to Kalos often but Magnolia had received an emergency call from a Police Inspector called Chris Graves.

“She ran all the way to the police station,” Graves says, sighing. “I didn’t know what to do with her so I put her there for a while. Maybe she’ll feel better.”

“I hardly think so, Mr Graves. This girl needs proper care.”

“Listen, she had a mental breakdown…and, um…I’m her godfather…so legally, I…I’m supposed to take her in but she doesn’t want to live with me and I don’t wanna force her. I’m paying for her treatment and I’m not offended or anything ‘cos I’m not good at this stuff, I’m not fit to be a dad in any way,” Graves tells her during the phonecall, “And I know you’re her mother’s mentor and so I thought….you might be better to…I dunno, talk to her.”

“Where are her grandparents?”

“They’ve passed away. She has some relatives but they don’t want to take her in. Too much hassle, and the medication’s expensive too.”

Magnolia and Sonia walk up to this girl at the chess table, and says her name.

She looks up, her tired and sunken eyes meeting theirs.

“My name is Magnolia. I’m a Professor from the region of Galar. This is my granddaughter, Sonia. She’s the same age as you,” Magnolia gestures to Sonia who offers you a meek wave.

“Hi….”

“I’m your mother’s mentor so I knew her well, and I’ve been informed about your circumstances. Would you like to come with me?” Magnolia says, “…Would you like to live with us?”

Indifference slowly dissolves to shock as this woman called Professor Magnolia and her doe-eyed granddaughter Sonia stand before you. The chess pieces on the table blur together as you emit a quiet sniff, the corner of your eyes leaking with tears.

* * *

In the hospital, Leon remains by your side.

Some people came and went, namely Magnolia, Sonia and Chief Inspector Graves. He was your godfather. Who knew?

You're only allowed one visitor at a time and Leon has made it quite obvious to everyone that he will be the one to stay by your side as the two ladies came and went due to the ungodly hour, and Graves has left to talk to Chairman Rose and the Ghostbunkers and he won't be coming back anytime soon.

Leon has faithfully stayed with you as you were taken to hospital and he sits on the chair by your bed, waiting for you to wake up. You’ve fallen unconscious since you were brought in and the doctors say your condition is stable despite the blood loss and you will make a full recovery very soon. It's good news and Leon holds your hand tightly in his, closing his eyes. He silently thanks Arceus that you're unharmed and prays that you will wake up soon.

However, the door is suddenly thrown open and a blonde-haired young man in black enters the room unannounced, his head wrapped with a plethora of bandages whilst a Joltik is perched on his shoulder with a little bandage tied around its body.

"Chuck!" he yells loudly, and Leon turns round to face the newcomer.

The two men regard each other; the blonde looks at Leon, who's still donned in his torn shirt and his cape appears to be missing and although Leon doesn't quite appreciate the intrusion and the unwelcome noise, he says calmly, "Chuck? I think you've got the wrong room..."

"No, no, that's just my nickname for her, for duckie. I mean _chuck_. Wait-" the blonde keeps correcting himself until he says your name.

"Who are you?" 

"I'm so sorry, I should've introduced myself first," the blonde tidies his act up, lowers his voice and closes the door quietly behind himself, "I'm Jace. It's nice to meet you, Sir Champion."

_Jace._

So this is Jace.

Leon has seen his testimonial on your blog and you've mentioned him once or twice. Now he can finally put the name to a face and _this is Jace_. He must be older than the both of you and he is not bad-looking; he's tall with a thin frame, sharp jaw and chiselled features. One can tell he is friendly from a simple glance.

However, quite the opposite occurs: a surge of discomfort flits through Leon's mind when he realises you and Jace are friends and you are close. Close enough that you have nicknames for each other. The champion's expression doesn't change despite this fact though he tenses in his seat and he clinches your fist with more force than before.

The pit of his gut suddenly bubbles with an unquenchable uneasiness he hasn't experienced before; it's different. It's new, and most unbecoming. Initially, Leon ponders if it's the tension he feels before a battle...but this is indeed a wholly different sensation.

"It's nice to meet you too," Leon does his best but ultimately ends up forcing a smile at the blonde, "And there's no need to be so formal. Just 'Leon' is fine-" 

Jace wheezes a little.

"-and you were with her at the art gallery, right?"

"Yeah," the blonde replies, nodding vigorously, "Sir Champion, I mean, _Leon_...she didn't have to take the case. She knew you had spoken to Rose and you had put in a good word for her, and it's not in her heart to turn down a client."

Leon lowers his gaze. "...I know."

"Rose isn't happy. He says we violated the terms and conditions because I used Joltik and that counts as pokemon battling, which isn't allowed on the premise. But I had to. I had to protect myself and chuck."

"I'll talk to Chairman Rose. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll come around. Thank you for protecting her, Jace."

"You're welcome..."

The room settles into silence; Jace is clearly intimidated by Leon's presence and it's then he sees that the Champion is also holding your hand very tightly.

And then there's the note on the door that says ' _One Visitor At A Time_ '.

Three's a crowd and so Jace utters, "Right, well then, I imagine she's in good hands since you're here and all, so I'll...I'll be off now. Goodnight."

Leon nods. 

Without much further ado, the blonde wordlessly leaves the room, closing the door behind him once more.

Leon is left with you and you alone, and that's the way he likes it. Upon Jace's departure, his gut loosens up and the strange swirling and jittery feeling ebbs away in a second and finally, he is able to relax. He swivels round in his seat to face you, leaning over to sweep away a loose strand of hair that's lingering over your closed eyelids. You look peaceful and he wonders what you're possibly dreaming about.

Hopefully, it's a pleasant dream.

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Nope you're not imagining things and its not a glitch or a mistake in the chapter, the wall of numbers at the beginning is binary (ASCII/UTF-8). That was me trying to be creative XD I don't know much about binary, I learned it briefly but I hope it works. Feel free to decode it.
> 
> 2\. Rosie's beep boop-ing should be in fact longer, but I cut it short because it might've ruined their conversation
> 
> 3\. I can understand why Leon could be yandere. As I was writing the last part, I could imagine it O_O


	15. Leon in Love? Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You tell Leon to stay away from you which in turn prompts him to respond in an interesting manner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 28.10.2020
> 
> ...
> 
> Me: I shouldn’t write so much dramatic stuff. I should keep my storylines real and keep the characters grounded as much as possible so people can relate.
> 
> Also me: Reader has lost the most important people in her life, she has had a mental breakdown, she learns how to exorcise evil spirits and has made it her life mission to find her family and help others in need ಥ_ಥ
> 
> ...

** Leon in Love? **

** Part 2 **

…

…

[“Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes into you.”

\- Friedrich Nietzsche]

…

…

You awake to the rhythmic beeping sounds of a heart-rate monitor, your eyes opening and adjusting to the light of the room.

Emitting an inaudible sigh under your breath, you throw a quick glance to yourself to assess the damage.

Your mauled arm is bandaged and someone has cleaned you up. There’s no more blood. Your hair has been washed and your skin scrubbed. You smell like daisies but your clothes are not your own. Instead, you’re donned in nothing but a flimsy, paste-coloured hospital gown and there's a plastic bracelet with a barcode strapped around your wrist. An IV drip has also been set up along with the EKG machine.

To your left, you spot a capless and cape-less Leon sitting on the chair provided, albeit he appears to be sleeping with his arms crossed and his face buried in the crook of his elbow, using your bed to rest.

It is beyond your comprehension as to why Leon is here, especially after what he witnessed for himself in the art gallery.

Your throat hurts, not that you have the energy nor are you in the mood to talk. Leon looks comfortable sleeping by your side so you settle your gaze on the Champion of Galar and observe him for a few seconds or so before you slowly ease your good arm out from underneath the blanket to reach over and pat him on the crown of his head, your hand patting his unruly purple locks.

His hair is so light and soft and unfortunately your brief petting session comes to an end when he shifts, brows furrowing, and so you are quick to retreat your hand. You hope you hadn’t woken him up but when he groans, you quickly return to lie over the bed and close your eyes, pretending to be asleep.

You hear Leon shifting out of his spot before he unfolds his arms off the mattress, grabs his hat from the bedside table and dons it, and sits up. He emits a soft groan and a gentle yawn before the room grows quiet. He sounds exhausted.

It's not difficult to perceive when you're being watched, and you feel his gaze landing on your form before the duvet shuffles slightly under your grip and is carefully pulled up to your chin. Following that, your hair is gently smoothed down.

Your heartbeat spikes and the monitor emits a particularly harsh sounding beep.

“Hm?” Leon utters whilst you cringe. “That doesn’t seem normal…”

The legs of the chair squeals against the floor, light footsteps meander away, the door opens with a creak and slowly returns to the doorframe with a well-timed but shrill screech.

When all grows silent, you open one eye, look around and sit up.

You have been betrayed by the heart monitor and you wonder if you should have pretended to be asleep or not. However, several pairs of footsteps approach your room and the door eases open; glancing up, you see Leon with a doctor and nurse by his side.

The champion's expression lights up at once when he sees you blinking blankly at him. 

“You’re awake!” he exclaims, his grin widening.

You should respond, nod or indicate in some manner, but all you do is slide your desolate gaze to your lap.

The doctor and nurse stroll to your bedside to begin the checkup and Leon automatically leaves the room to give you some privacy. You peer over the doctor’s shoulder as much as you can, watching Leon leave and close the door behind him; the doctor begins checking your back and chest with his stethoscope and asks you to sit properly on the bed and to remain still.

Then they ask you some questions but overall, you're told you’re fine and recuperating well.

Leon returns once the checkup is over and you lie in bed, inspecting your bandaged arm. Apparently you’ve got stitches but the injury will heal and fade, though a scar will most likely persist.

You emit another sigh as he seats himself on the chair, dragging it closer to your side.

“Hey...” he says.

When you shift your attention from your arm to the Champion, your gazes meet.  
  
“Hi Leon,” you say quietly.

“Are you okay?”

You divert your limp gaze to the window. “…Yeah.”

Your lethargy and dour mood does not go unnoticed; in an attempt to cheer you up, he reaches over and slowly worms his hand into yours, the heat from his palm spreading pleasantly into yours and thoroughly warming you up. You freeze for a split second before you throw your gaze to your entwined hands and your heartbeat promptly speeds up again, the room becoming prickled with a rapid and incessant influx of beeping sounds courtesy of the heart monitor.

Leon glances at the EKG and swerves his eyes to you.

You bite down on your lip, cheeks inevitably growing warm.

And he subsequently lets go of you.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” he mutters sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, “...I’ll give you some space.”

You say nothing and a tense silence spawns as you lower your gaze once more but Leon continues to wordlessly regard you for a few seconds or so and the atmosphere quickly grows awkward. Instead, you attempt to make yourself comfortable on the bed and Leon springs into action.

“Let me help.”

Before you can protest, he’s already adjusting the pillow behind your head and smoothing the case down.

“How’s this?”

“Good. Thank you.”

He grins widely in response.

“You must be thirsty,” he adds, and he grabs a silver flask that stands on the bedside table, unscrews the lid and pours some water into a glass which he settles it in your hands. You blink in surprise before you thank him quietly, tip the glass over your lips and gulp down the contents.

He’s treating you like a queen. Last time Leon was the one in hospital and now it’s your turn. How the tables have turned.

“What time is it?” you ask, as Leon takes the glass off you and returns it to the table.

“About three am.”

You stiffen all over. “…Leon, what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to make sure you would be fine.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Unfortunately I’m not allowed to stay for the remainder of the night but I want to stay with you for as long as I can,” Leon murmurs, and he sounds terribly disappointed, “I really wanted to and I asked, but Chairman Rose won’t allow it. They want me to get fitted for a new shirt.”

You mull over his words. Leon is the first person at your side upon your awakening and he had wanted to stay with you for the rest of the night. It rapidly sinks in your mind and it’s happening again: heat crawls over your cheeks but it’s not just you this time; the two of you toss your gazes at everywhere but each other until the events at the art gallery invades your mind and a deep frown worms its way over your face.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like that," you mumble, "and I’m sorry for ruining your shirt and cape."

"There's no need to apologise. I have plenty of spares at home and the cape's sent off to a dry cleaners."

You still feed bad regardless. “...And Spiritomb escaped too."

He nods minutely, taking note of your dark expression.

“Leon, I-“

There is a knock on the door and it opens to reveal a weary-looking Graves dressed in a ragged black tracksuit and beanie. He steps in and greets Leon before he throws his glance to you as you lie on the bed with the bandaged arm and forehead but then he sees Leon clutching your hand and stares intensely.

“Am I interrupting something?” Graves mutters.

You and Leon hurriedly let go of each other though on this occasion, you were quicker than Leon to shake your hand out of his, which you think he realises because he throws you a surprised look.

Graves pulls off his hat and fans himself as he stops by your bedside. “Good to see you’re awake. You okay, kid?”

You nod. “I’m fine. Is Jace okay?”

From the corner of your eye, Leon’s expression falters immediately upon your mentioning of your friend. Though it is not entirely noticeable, you are able to perceive the slight change.

“He’s fine,” Graves replies, “geez, focus on yourself for a change, would ya?”

“What about the other two?”

“They’re fine, and Magnolia and Sonia popped by earlier. They left warm clothes for you and food over there,” Graves points to a random counter where you see a black bag sitting near a pile of paper towels, “I’m gonna get some testimony off your friend and those men... Cole and…whats-his-face, Tan-something. Arceus, it’s a mess.”

“What’s happened?”

“Well, that Tan guy could face charges for grievous bodily assault. He’s denying it even though we have the video footage,” Graves scratches at his stubbly chin with a sigh. “He says he was possessed.”

“He was.”

Graves sighs heavily once more in response to your statement, “…And I’m also going to speak to Rose. I mean, I sort of did already but I need to speak to him again; they can’t just say they’re not liable for…this.” He gestures flimsily to your injuries.

“I signed some papers though.”

“Yeah, and I really wished you hadn’t. Let me see what I can do.” Turning to the champion, he adds, “Thank you for saving her.”

“You’re very welcome, sir,” Leon replies with a smile, "I'll speak to Chairman Rose too. I'm sure he'll come around."

"Thanks, Leon, that would be very helpful. I appreciate that."

Suddenly, Graves looks at you squarely in the eye. "Now don't you go talking to Rose yet."

"I won't," you reply; you agree with his decision for you might punch him in the face should you see him. 

With another firm nod, Graves briefly turns, a move indicating that he is about to leave, but then he pauses and decides to shoot you and Leon curious looks before his brows furrow questioningly.

“Are you two-“

You’re aware that he is wondering if there is something going on between you and the champion but either way, he’s decided not to comment any further as he doesn’t complete his sentence and begins to waddle towards the door.

“Never mind,” Graves utters under his breath, “get some sleep, kiddo.”

“Wait, before you go, I have a favour," you say.

“What?”

“Can you look up _Edward Rose_? He was Chairman Rose’s ancestor. Can you check if he was a Satanist or something?”

Both Graves and Leon look baffled by your request but the inspector nods nevertheless.

“Alright, fine, I will. Now get some rest. That is an order.” Graves barks, pointing at you before he promptly steps towards the door; you see a familiar face peering in through the gap and you sit up properly in bed.

“Jace?”

The blonde pokes the door open and slips inside the room; your face lights up upon his arrival.

“Jace!” you exclaim, and Jace grins widely at you in response whilst Leon tenses slightly in his chair.

“Oh, chuck, you’re okay!” the blonde abruptly dives for you and sweeps you up in his arms.

Whilst Graves sighs helplessly as Jace hugs you tightly, Leon sits quietly in his chair, his gaze pinned on you before he shifts his focus to the blonde.

“Arceus, I was so worried!” Jace cries loudly.

“I’m fine…are you okay?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Alright, alright, give her some space,” Graves snaps at the blonde, and much to Leon’s relief, he steps in and pries Jace away from you. “She needs rest. You both do.”

“Okay,” Jace replies, sulking slightly. “…I’ll see you in the morning?”

You nod and Jace flashes you a wide smile and a wink which makes Leon bristle on the spot when he sees you finally smiling before Graves escorts him out. Once Graves and Jace have left the room, your smile disappears and Leon glimpses at you.

“That’s Jace,” you point out, and he nods.

“I know,” he replies, his voice lower than usual. You can’t help but feel he looks tense all of a sudden.

“Graves is my godfather.”

He nods once more. “How long have you and Jace been friends?”

“Since I moved to Galar. He’s one of the first people I met.”

“I see.”

“…Are you okay?” 

“Yes, I’m fine,” Leon musters a smile and just like that, he’s back….back to being cheerful and happy. However, the smile quickly vanishes when his gaze lands on your injuries and he averts his glance to his lap. “...I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“If it wasn’t for me, if I didn’t tell Chairman Rose, then this wouldn’t have happened to you."

"It’s no-one’s fault. Whether you spoke to Rose or not, he probably would’ve reached out to me somehow and I willingly accepted this case anyway.”

“…I’m sorry,” he murmurs softly, “please forgive me.”

“Leon, it’s okay. And...thank you for saving me. I would've died if you hadn't come."

He manages to smile reassuringly at you, cheeks going pink. "Of course I had to come, I was worried."

Following that, the room simmers into silence.

"...Graves is right,” you speak up again, in an effort to break the crushing monotony, “he warned me not to work on cases anymore. He was worried I’d end up dead. He’s right. I mean, look at me. And look at Jace. He got injured because of me, and you and Charizard could have been hurt too....but Spiritomb is out there so I can’t just quit entirely… and my family are depending on me,” you utter, before you glance around the room, sigh heavily and throw your weary glance to the Champion, "...I need some fresh air. Do you want to go for a walk?” 

"Aren't you tired?"

"I'm okay, I just want to stretch my legs."

“I’m not sure if you’re allowed to leave the room.”

“It’ll be fine, we won’t be gone for long.”

Leon is reluctant but you turn to slide out of bed regardless and so he helps you out and you head to the bag with the warm clothes Magnolia and Sonia had brought for you.

You grab an oversized hooded sweater along with a pair of black thermal leggings and you quickly pull them on even though Leon is standing in front of you; he turns red when you step into each leg and ease it over your hips, leaving the gown untucked.

You also find some sandwiches and a juicebox which Magnolia has packed for you so you hold onto those. When you’re ready, you leave the sanctity of the warm and toasty private room with Leon trailing after you and you arrive at the chilly corridor where you glimpse around casually.

“Is this the same hospital you were admitted to?” you ask, and he nods, “can we go to that yard with the fountain you took me last time?”

“Sure.”

You and Leon make your way through the corridor and find the same patient’s communal area from last time, except on this occasion it’s dark with the lights and TV switched off and overall, it’s empty. Up ahead, the door that leads to the yard is your destination.

Surprisingly, it’s unlocked and you step in. It’s different at night but very much relaxing and tranquil with the lack of individuals around. Despite the unforgiving frigidness of the night, the warm clothes you are wearing are providing to be effective whereas you look at Leon and he’s still in his torn champion shirt which is caked with some dried blood, yours, of course, and it makes you cringe when you can see a small inch or so of his tanned skin and flat but muscular stomach and you’re more concerned for his well-being but he reassures you he is fine.

You seat yourself down on a cold bench near the fountain and Leon joins you where you silently contemplate tonight’s events and what it means for your future before you look up at the sky. The moon is round and bright tonight, and the stars twinkle dimly in the sea of darkness. You're reminded of the time you sat together on the roof of his house, except you're loaded with painkiller and your mood has plummeted to an unimaginable level. You also seem to be experiencing a mix of self-pity and self-loathing at this very moment.

And then you remember the dream.

Inhaling a shaky breath, you pull out the food Magnolia has left for you along with the juicebox and there's a green post-it note with elaborate handwriting that says ' _Get Well Soon!_ ' courtesy of Sonia along with a doodle of Gengar and Mimikyu. Then you unwrap the sandwiches and realise Magnolia has made your favourite fillings.

Leon observes you for a quiet moment as you stare intently at the food before you meekly pick apart the plastic shrink-wrap with your fingers.

"Do you need help?" 

You shake your head.

With your one good hand, you pull off the wrapping after a few seconds and finally lift the sandwich to your mouth, biting down and chewing noiselessly, your tastebuds soaking in the flavours.

Leon averts his gaze away so you can eat in peace, however the sounds of your quiet sobs quickly grabs his attention and he turns round questioningly. As you eat, tears are leaking profusely from the corner of your eyes, dripping over your lap.

"What's wrong?!" Leon exclaims as you chew and swallow whilst weeping silently, trembling in your seat, "...What is it?"

Your response is a mere shake of the head as hot, fat tears roll down the curves of your cheeks. Unused to seeing you cry, he glances helplessly around the empty yard as you struggle, shoving morsel after morsel of the crisp white bread along with the cold but delicious filling into your mouth.

“Ah, please don’t…please don’t cry,” he does his best to comfort you and as your sobbing worsens before his very eyes, he slips off the bench, “don't cry, please."

Your sobs do not stop; through blurred vision, you see Leon crouching in front of you with your hand clamped tightly in his. You don't know what he's doing, having lowered himself on one knee before you and looking up at you like that. You want to tell him to get up, hell, you _should_ tell him to get up. If the press saw him like this, they would yet again have a field day, knowing that you've brought the Champion to his knees somehow. However, all you can manage are unintelligible squeaks and sobs. You end up placing the half-eaten sandwich down and snivel drearily.

The more you cry, the more it hurts him to see you like this and so he returns to sit on the bench before he gently wraps his arms around you and brings you into an embrace. Leon lets you rest your chin on one broad shoulder as he holds you, his thick and sturdy arms wrapping around your form before he proceeds to rub you soothingly and cradle the back of your head. You're pressed against his solid chest and he encourages you to lean against him though his heart thumps frantically against yours, and your sobs gradually come to a stop.

"...Leon?" you croak out, hiccuping slightly.

"Y-yes?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I-I'm okay."

"...Your heart is pounding really hard."

"I'm sorry, I can't seem to stop it."

As much as you wanted to smile, chuckle and sink further into his chest for you enjoy his comforting warmth, you untangle yourself from his grip and hang your head low.

"What's wrong?" he asks once more, but you shake your head.

"...Don't."

"Don't what?"

"That. Don't do _that,_ " you mumble, before you smother and wipe away your unsightly tears with the heel of your hand. Sucking raspy and shaky breaths, you glance at the sandwich but find you have no more appetite.

He's confused and he reaches for you but you rise from the bench to stand.

"...Leon, I think it's best if you stay away from me from now on."

He almost falls out of his seat with shock. Clearly he was not expecting _that_. “What?” 

Offering no further explanation or follow up, you slink your hands into the pockets of your oversized hoodie and step away from him.

Immediately, Leon gets up to follow you without a second to spare; you didn’t realise how much of a fast walker you are as he attempts to catch up to you but you don’t slow down to let him catch up nor do you spare him a second glance and you end up trekking towards the fountain with the Champion at your heels.

“I’m sorry if I made you upset, if I overstepped any boundaries," Leon calls as he hurries after you, "please forgive me.”

"You did nothing wrong."

"Then why...?"

"I had a dream about my family," you reply, listening to the loud crunch as your boots step over the dirt and dried leaves, "and it made me remember just how bad and how complicated things are and now that I think about it, it wasn’t such a long time ago. I haven't made any progress and I can't let it happen again."

"Then let me help. I want to help you," he says, "I'll do everything I can. Tell me."

"No, you can't. And I’m serious. You don't understand. Stay away from me, Leon. It’s for your own good. You shouldn’t be associated with the likes of me anymore.”

A stern shake of his head is your response and you're not surprised he's determined not to heed your warning, and as you wander further away from him, picking up the pace, Leon speeds up and he’s almost at your side and you attempt to evade him by sidestepping away but he reaches forward as quickly as he can and you feel a gentle but firm tug on your hand.

Ultimately, you're brought to a stop.

Turning round, Leon has finally caught up to you, holding your hand tightly in his again.

You slide your gaze to your entwined hands, but this time he does not let go as he stops by your side.

“...No, don’t say that,” he murmurs.

He looks upset.

You've hurt him.

And it hurts you to tell him to stay away from you too, but you ball your fist and bite out, “People call me the ‘ _Witch of Wedgehurst’_."

“I didn’t know.”

“And they think I’m cursed and bad luck.”

“That’s fear and superstition.”

He's still not getting the message. You wriggle free from his grip once more and abruptly turn away, making a beeline for the large tree that stands in the middle of the yard.

Unsurprisingly, Leon follows you, appearing to your left.

You glance away from him to the right.

So he heads to your right but you look to your left.

He trails you all the way to the tree which you circle and he’s trying to keep up. “You tell me to stay away but you let Jace help you," he says, "What makes me different?"

You complete a third lap around the tree yet Leon follows. "You're the _Champion of Galar_. If anything bad happened to you, I'd never forgive myself. And I messed up back there. I allowed an evil spirit to inhabit my body-“

“It took advantage, it tricked you.”

“Yes, and I could have hurt you if I hadn’t forced it out. I was…I was naïve to think that we….…never mind, you cannot be involved with me any further or else you’ll just get hurt.”

“ _Don’t say that_ ,” he repeats, and you round the tree once again but instead of following you, Leon heads to the other direction so you end up meeting halfway and you stop when you almost smack into him nose-to-chest.

You blink and glance up, your gazes finally meeting and your heart thumps a tad harder by the close proximity, “Leon, you saw it with your own eyes."

"Yes, I did."

His face bears no cheery expression and perhaps for the first time since you have met, it worries you a little.

"Then I don’t understand why you’re still here and wanting to stay with me and talk to me. I don't want you to see these things. You're not supposed to, I wanted to keep you away from this, from the...from the evil and the darkness. It can destroy someone."

"What I saw and what happened at the art gallery doesn’t change my opinion of you.”

“Which is what???” 

“That you’re the bravest person I know," he murmurs, "and I want to do everything I can to protect you. You've selflessly sacrificed yourself for me and I want you to know that I would do the same for you. I'd gladly do it again and again no matter what because I don't want to lose you. You're special to me."

You freeze, stunned. 

Wrapping both of his large hands over yours, Leon firmly weaves your fingers together. The heat from his warm palms encompasses your small and fragile palm all over and successfully elicits another harsh thud of your heart. He brings your entwined hands to his chest, a gesture he'd done before and perhaps would do it again should you allow it. 

“I may be Champion of Galar but don't treat me differently because of that," he mutters, "don't cast me aside."

Your eyes grow to the size of saucers and your heart lurches angrily against your ribs at his words and it certainly doesn't help as he proceeds to brush his thumbs all over your hand and knuckles.

“I want to protect you, so let me,” Leon murmurs, giving your hand another tight squeeze. “Please.”

His grip on you loosens when he realises how speechless you are but he does not let go of your hand just yet; his gaze dips briefly to your parted lips then to your eyes…then to your lips for a second time.

And it stays there.

Discovering that your feet are firmly rooted to the ground, you can only gawk and blink with muted shock. You cannot imagine how flushed you must look, and the heat on your cheeks is becoming unbearable... and it's all to do with him and what he just said.

Your lack of proper response prompts him to make another move, one that includes moving even closer to you until he is mere inches away. Instinctively, you back away from his approach but Leon steps forwards.

“…Leon?” you murmur, your voice barely above a whisper.

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, steels his nerves and looks deeply into your eyes before he squeezes your hand affectionately and your cheeks grow hotter than ever before as his gaze sweeps over your face. He settles onto your lips for a third time; his mouth moves but you didn't listen to what he had said. 

Leon begins to lean forwards.

Eyes widening, your heart pounds viciously as Leon nears and nears; the gap between you gradually grows smaller and your lips are millimetres away and his eyelids slide until they’re half-closed.

Beyond your control, you turn your head to the side slightly and he anticipates your action, attempting to meet you, unwilling to allow the close proximity you are sharing to disappear. You retreat tentatively and bob your head to the other side and he does the same, his lips gravitating further towards you. He’s not letting you go.

His cheeks are fairly pink despite the darkness and he is beginning to sweat slightly as he continues to lean in until your noses touch. When the scruff of his beard scratches delicately against your chin, your body goes numb and your mind fogs all over: it's a clear indication that you’ve reached a certain closeness with the Champion which you didn’t think was possible.

To your utmost surprise and perhaps delight, he chooses to linger, his lips hovering over yours...

You can hear his heart thudding frantically.

For _you._

Leon is just as nervous as you are.

However, your fingers are bearing the brunt of Leon’s nervousness as he clenches your hand firmly; they’re beginning to throb under his iron grip and you can't help but wonder if he knows what he's doing, if he's aware of what he's trying to do because it appears he’s trying to get it right, to find the best angle for his lips to meet yours - he must need someone to teach him, to lead him, to guide him...show him how it's done _.._.. _you_ , perhaps...Either way, he's innocent and it never crossed your mind at all but now you don't think he's ever kissed anyone before and you're going to be his _first kiss_.

You swallow that growing lump in your throat as you wait for his mouth to come crashing down against yours, waiting for him to thoroughly capture your lips with his and he _is_ about to as he closes his eyes and you follow his action. Your heart begins clamouring when you finally feel the light but cautious brush of his warm and soft lips gently grazing against yours. 

However, a loud knock on the door forces the two of you to jolt and reopen your eyes and everything stops.

Oleana stands at the door with her hands gently clasped in front of her hips, a look of indifference on her pale face. Even at this hour, her hair and makeup are immaculate. 

“Excuse me, Mr Champion….Chairman Rose is waiting for you in the car,” she says solemnly as you both hurriedly pull away, your hands parting.

She hardly bats an eyelid as to what she may or may not have just witnessed.

“A-ah, um, yes, t-thanks...” is Leon’s not so eloquent reply whilst you throw your shaky gaze to the side. You’re too nervous to look at him and you hear him cough into his fist loudly before he finally reasserts control over himself - his voice in particular - and he says, rather sternly, “Thank you, Oleana.”

Leon abruptly pulls the visor of his hat down to cover as much of his face as he can; he retreats from you and when you muster the courage to glimpse at him, you see the unabashed wobble of his bottom lip as he steps away.

He’s clearly upset by the interruption.

“G-goodbye,” Leon’s voice is muffled as he stutters behind his hat and he leaves the garden without a further word, joining Oleana’s side where he finally lets go of his snapback to reveal his face, which is red as a tamato berry.

He gives you one final sideways glance and quickly looks away when he realises you are staring too, his face reddening further. You watch them leave wordlessly before you trace your fingertip over your lips gently.

The relationship between you and the Champion has become far more intricate than you could have ever imagined.

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🥺👉👈 I was dying to write some Leon love. I hope you enjoyed


	16. Leon With Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whilst you remain in hospital, Leon is preparing something(s) for you. You also bond with Mimikyu and catch up with Jace and the Ghostbunkers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 11.11.2020
> 
> Technically, this should be Leon in Love Part 3 but I liked this title better :)

** Leon with Flowers **

…

…

["We're just two lost souls  
Swimming in a fish bowl  
Year after year."

\- Wish You Were Here _,_ Pink Floyd]

…

…

Leon arrives outside the Wild Area Pokemon Nursery and pushes open the door. It jingles with a light tune upon his arrival and he sees a lone nursery worker behind the counter. It's Raihan's girlfriend and her Goomy and Dreepy huddle together on one of the sofas, watching TV whilst she works, juggling several large canisters of baby pokemon food and moomoo milk in hands. 

“Hi Leon,” she greets him politely as soon she spots him, despite the hectic atmosphere. Her voice is very soft on the ears.

“Hi,” he replies, and Goomy and Dreepy gurgle and chirp at him happily; Goomy uses one of its horn to press down on a random button on the remote control beside them, changing the channel from a drama to a cartoon show.

Throwing a quick glance to the clock on the wall, she says, “You’re early.”

“Ah, yeah, I managed to get everything done…I can come back if you’re not ready.”

“Not at all, give me a minute.”

“Sure.”

“Please have a seat,” she gestures to an empty couch and so he plops himself down.

Raihan’s girlfriend finishes filling up the shelves on the wall with the bottles and the milk before she ducks behind the counter and he hears more glass containers rattling within and she stacks two or three more on the shelf before she says, “Would you like some tea?”

“No, thank you.”

"Okay."

Leon casually glances around the small waiting room until he casts a glimpse at her; Raihan’s girlfriend is a pokemon breeder and she’s the complete opposite of the dragon tamer: calm, quiet and certainly not flamboyant in any manner. Apparently she’s good at handling him and there are rumours flying around that he is madly in love with her. Despite her meek outward appearance, looks can be deceiving because Raihan’s girlfriend is also an EV trainer with an arsenal of high-levelled, competitive pokemon.

And he’s asked her for help.

She dries her hand on a Bellossom tea towel and finally heads to the gate, opening it. “Thanks for waiting! Well, come on in. Sorry about the mess.”

“No problem,” Leon gets up from his seat - looks like she trusts Goomy and Dreepy to be left on their own - and he closes the gate behind him, follows her inside the interior and often unseen part of the nursery.

She leads him towards the baby pokemon room; it's covered with pastel yellow wallpaper dotted with little stars and moons and there are plenty of baby mobiles hanging from the ceiling, soft play toys, alphabet play cubes and various squeaky toys and Leon is greeted with the sight of Cleffas, Pichus, Smoochums, Magbys and Bonslys running rampant around the available space and generally causing mischief. She runs inside at once, pulling at a Mime Jr that’s about to leap off a high shelf before she separates two Munchlaxes who are squabbling over a bowl of berries.

“So sorry,” she exclaims as Leon glances around, unsure where to really look due to the chaos, “I swear they can be very well-behaved. So…what do you think?”

Leon chuckles and folds his arms. “Of course, but…” as the babies bawl and drool and roll around the playmats, he puts a hand under his chin to ponder, “...Something’s not quite right. I’m not saying she won’t like a baby pokemon but…it’s not really her.”

Her shoulders droop. “Oh, r-really? Well…maybe not a baby pokemon then?” Copying his action, an Igglybuff taps at her calf as she rubs at her chin. She glances down and it points to a bottle it cannot reach on the table. She picks it up and hands it to it and Igglybuff rolls away, and she says, “What about an abandoned pokemon?”

Leon raises a brow. “There are abandoned pokemon here?”

She nods sadly; a Riolu tugs on her leg next, wanting to be held, “Unfortunately, yes, the number of pokemon dropped off at the nursery and subsequently being abandoned has risen," she says glumly as she picks the fighting pokemon up and pats him on the head.

“Where are they? Can you show me?”

“Of course,” she puts down Riolu, goading him to play with the others and all the baby pokemon look at her expectantly, “You guys be on your best behaviour, okay?”

There’s a response of chirping, squeaking, high-pitched trilling and a few nods of the head. She looks at them worriedly but has no choice but to leave the room for now. Regardless, the baby pokemon don’t seem to be intent on wreaking _too_ much havoc.

She leads Leon out of the nursing room and further along the corridor, stopping at a random door and opening it; she holds the door open for him and his eyes grow wide when he sees a dozen or so pokemon littered around the room, resting in baskets or perches. However, there is something terribly gloomy about this room and he realises the dullness is emanating from the Pokemon within.

An Eevee in the corner is tightly curled up against the wall but looks up when they enter and its large eyes meets Leon’s. Its ears are flat against its head and its fur is dull and matted. It's clutching a squidgy berry toy to itself.

It’s…. _miserable_.

Raihan’s girlfriend sighs under her breath, “We initially put them together with the other pokemon, but they seem to be doing better with other abandoned pokemon so…my boss put them altogether in one room. Some pokemon have actually broken out and run away…these are the ones that are still waiting for their owner.”

Leon glances around, inspecting the remaining pokemon; a Corvisquire with rough-looking feathers sits on the perch with its head under its wing. A Skwovet hides underneath its thick tail, its wet eyes looking up at the duo. A Minccino is crying in another corner; she runs to it immediately and scoops it up in her arms.

“…This isn’t new, but the numbers are growing rapidly,” she replies as she holds the small pokemon tightly to her chest. It responds to her embrace, closing its eyes.

“What’s wrong with Eevee?”

“We diagnosed it with a permanent leg injury. It can no longer battle.”

Leon bites down on his lip; the sight of abandoned or injured pokemon makes his heart clench with grief. “Arceus, I want to take them all.”

“You can’t. Not yet. They’ve actually not passed the period yet,” Raihan’s girlfriend replies, “My boss set a month, at least. If their owners don’t return, the pokemon are officially under our care."

Leon emits a sigh under his breath until he spots a small and malnourished fox pokemon sitting quietly by the window, staring outside at the scenery. It hasn’t seemed to have noticed their presences and he observes it for a fraction longer than usual before he takes a step forward. Once he's at its side, it turns round and a single, glassy brown eye blinks at him whilst the other appears to be missing. Furthermore, it only has one tail.

Leon moves to crouch on one knee before the small creature and it regards him silently before throwing its gaze to the window once more, though it wags its small tail.

“Oh! Vulpix…” Raihan’s girlfriend murmurs, “….Poor thing, she's been here more than a month and her owner never came back. She's absolutely lovely, she would be a great choice if it suits your friend."

“I’ll take her,” Leon says, without a moment of hesitation, “Will that be alright?”

She nods with a wide smile. “Of course! I'll get the paperwork ready."

" _Paperwork?_ " he realises he's beginning to dislike that word.

"Yes, it's mostly for our records, then you can pick her up in three days minimum."

"Thanks, I'm looking forward to it!" he exclaims, and she grins in response, picking Vulpix up and off the ground.

"Thank you, Leon!! Isn't this wonderful? You're going to have a new home soon," she coos, lifting one of her paws and wiggling it gently. He can't help but grin.

Raihan's girlfriend hands him the Pokemon and slips her into his arms; their gazes meet and Vulpix blinks her single eye, wags her tail gently, then reaches over and licks his cheek.

She's perfect.

* * *

Although you’re not quite sure how you managed to get a wink of sleep for the remainder of that night considering what had happened between you and Leon in the garden, you wake up in time for further checkups and the doctors inform you that you will be discharged by end of the day. It's good news, though you will need to make routine visits to get your dressings replaced for a further week or so.

And when you check Rotom, you have received several messages.

Graves will come to pick you up before you are formally discharged and instructs you to get packing. He also briefly tells you his findings about Edward Rose: he was not a satanist but he did not have a good reputation amongst the Rose family. Being one of the lesser known 'Rose', he was remembered for his descent into madness and there is no record on how he obtained or why he chose to use human blood, skin and hair for his painting.

Fifteen paintings are alleged to exist and he was about to complete one more, but this final piece was apparently incomplete and subsequently went missing following his death. The existence of these paintings are bordering mythical. No-one has seen them before and there is no evidence. Just rumours.

 _But they do exist_ , and you tell Graves you had found the final painting in the basement of Rose's art gallery, but Graves remarks that there was no such thing when they searched it.

Therefore you realise Rose has already taken it and with that in mind, your fist curls until your knuckles turn white. Realising anything to do with Rose sets you off into an irrevocable rage, you move on and try to think of other things.

Magnolia and Sonia will visit you.

And so will Leon.

You hold your breath as you nervously swipe his message open, letting your eyes roam over the screen. Your mood lifts in a split second and your heart beat speeds up. He asks how you are doing and that he has returned to his duties but he will do his best to visit you before you leave hospital. On this occasion, there is one emoji included but the remainder of the message remains rather professional and straight-forward. You reread it a few more times before a smile worms its way over your face and your heart flutters.

However, you're able to subdue this profound giddiness and your response is a very neutral sounding 'okay' and you hope that's a satisfactory enough answer.

Thus your day begins and it starts off with Sonia and Magnolia visiting as promised; they’ve bagged the first slot and somehow your poster that says ' _One Visitor at a Tim_ e' no longer applies as they've also brought little Yamper, Cutie and Poltea with them and once they enter the room, you are pounced on as everyone is simply dying to embrace you. Overjoyed to see them, you hug for a lot longer than usual, before Magnolia tells you off again for the danger you had put yourself in but you tell her you will no longer be working on cases and that you will be taking a break.

Pleased with your decision, Magnolia nods to herself.

"I had a dream," you murmur as Cutie and Poltea move to sit on your shoulders, "when you came to pick me up from the psych ward."

Magnolia and Sonia watch you quietly.

"...And I'm really grateful," you add, your fist clinching over the sparse, thin duvet, "for everything. For taking me in, for looking after me. Thank you."

Sonia reacts with a cheerful smile and throws her arms around you again, holding you as tightly as possible and you do the same, whilst Magnolia nods briefly as she balances her cane with both hands.

“That was such a long time ago," Sonia replies, "Don't think about it; it was a bad chapter of your life."

You can only nod.

"How are you feeling anyway?" she adds, when she finally lets go of you.

"I'm okay," you say, and you show her your arm, "...could be better, I guess."

"Hmm... at least the doctors say it's gonna heal. And I heard Leon stayed with you most of the night."

"Yeah, he saved my life."

Sonia giggles whilst Magnolia tells her to keep her voice down, thoroughly reminding her that they're in a hospital. You chuckle as Sonia pouts in response.

They’ve brought you breakfast and lunch in case the hospital food is not sufficient (and it is) and unfortunately they cannot stay for long; their visiting time is over. You and Sonia exchange a long hug and soon, they depart; though you long to tell Sonia what has happened, you feel it’s not particularly the right moment.

In your empty room, Gengar appears from your shadow and though you're aware he dislikes emerging during the day, you're glad he's here and he is happy to see that you are well too; floating over to your side, you and Gengar proceed to share an embrace. You sprawl your arms around his rotund body and back and rest your cheek over the top of his spiky head whilst stubby arms cling to your sides.

"Aww, I missed you too,” you say, and Gengar looks at you with a concerned expression, "I'm fine."

Gengar lets go of you, then puts his hands on his hips and waggles them for a bit and you're wondering what he's trying to say until he glances around the room for a while before he spots an old magazine left on one of the counters. He grabs it, returns to your side and after flipping through some pages, points to you again and then to a random page.

And Leon is on this random page. It's some kind of advert, where he is sitting on a throne with a crown atop his head.

It can only mean one thing.

"Did you see us??" you ask nervously.

Gengar nods and grins mischievously, before he uses a hand to sweep his imaginary hair back and catwalks down your room with a hand on one hip. You didn't realise Gengar had this much sass.

"What's that supposed to mean?" you huff, as his feet leave the floor so he can float up into the air to chuckle. Pointing to you and then to Leon's picture on the magazine, he then clasps both hands together and bats his eyelashes and performs a full three hundred and sixty degree circle in the air.

You roll your eyes in response. 

"Harhar, yes, very funny," you reply, but you're smiling.

Gengar returns to rest and you realise you’re missing your other pokemon so you search your room briefly but to no avail; you can’t find the ragdoll anywhere so you leave your room only to see Mimikyu seated outside on one of the empty chairs with her head drooped, crying.

Alarmed, you head over to the pokemon at once, crouching in front of her and big, fat tears drip from the two glowing dots where her eyes should be, staining the dull fabric of its disguise.

“Mimi? What’s wrong???" you exclaim, "Are you hurt? Did someone hurt you?”

“Mi…mi….” she squeaks as she shakes her head, weeping, “ _Me_ _show you_.”

“Okay,” you reply, and as you lower your good arm, she takes a few tiny steps forwards, hops over your elbow and climbs up to sit on your shoulder.

"Mi...are _you_ okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about."

"Mi...it's okay," she replies, and she uses a shadowy tendril to pat you on top of the head. 

"What do you want to show me?"

"This way, mi mi."

She stops crying as she leads you away from your room and out of your ward in its entirety, guiding you to the direction of the paediatric ward and though you’re not sure if you’re allowed inside, Mimikyu asks you to stop at a certain corridor and as you glance at the nearby nurse's station, the nurses don't seem bothered with your presence at all.

“Mi… _look_ ,” Mimikyu says, pointing at the wall.

It is covered in crayon drawings of many pokemon that stretches all the way deep into the children’s play area and into the visitor’s hall which you cannot enter. There's even a crayon drawing of a purple pokemon that says ' _eKaNs is SnAkE sPeLlEd bAcKwArDs_ '.

“Me saw,” she adds as you inspect the wall carefully, “No Mimikyu. Other Pokemon, yes. _Pikachu_ …lots of Pikachu. No Mimikyu. Mi….me _hate_ Pikachu…” Mimikyu growls before her eyes gleam furiously with murderous intent under her disguise and a dark, wispy miasma begins to escape from her body. Her shadowy tendril twists into a tight claw in response to her anger, shaking with rage, “ _Me kill Pikachu_ …”

You try to reassure her but she shakes her head, trembling fiercely with hatred. Underneath the rag, the sounds of teeth grinding can be heard along with a bizarre clicking noise.

"Hey Mimi?"

"What is it, mi?"

"Why do you not want to look like Pikachu?"

Mimikyu blinks at you in shock before her eyes narrow, the glowing dots burning brightly, "....Mi...me wear the skin of the enemy....?" she growls, and this time her voice positively turns low and demonic, " _Me think not_..."

As Mimikyu hisses and seethes, you place a finger to your chin as you contemplate how different your Mimikyu is compared to others. Considering Mimikyu is upset that there are no pictures of any Mimikyu here, an idea hatches in your mind and you carefully comb through the ward until you pass a room full of screaming children who jump in their beds and throw pokemon dolls around in the air. 

A little girl sitting on her own at a play table is busy doodling princess castles on pieces of A4 paper (and unfortunately, onto the table) captures your attention and you head over.

"Hi."

She looks up at you, blinking her big blue eyes. Then she proceeds to stick a green crayon up her nose. Lovely.

"Can I borrow these?" you ask, gesturing to a pack.

She nods, then grabs a brown crayon and sticks that one up her remaining, empty nostril.

Luckily for you, you don't need those colours so you grab several clean crayons and untarnished paper off the play table closest to you and leave the ward and return to your own; you close the door shut and climb over the bed.

“Mi…what are you doing?” Mimikyu asks, baffled, as you spread the paper over the table and lay the crayons out.

“I’ll draw you,” you utter and Mimikyu looks at you with shock.

“You…draw _mi_?”

“Yep.”

Mimikyu blinks at you blankly before she lets out a high-pitched squeak of glee that makes your eardrums rattle and a lurid _snap_ rips through the room and you throw your glance to the window where a small crack has appeared in one corner. As Mimikyu continues squeaking, albeit at a lower pitch, tears of joy stain the fabric of her disguise once again and two shadowy tendrils proceed to slither out from her mouth and ensnare your head. It's a rather bizarre and cold, clammy sensation as Mimikyu hugs you.

Whilst you smile at her reassuringly, the door to your room opens and you look up to see Jace and two others you didn’t expect to see: Tanner and Cole.

“Duckie!” Jace exclaims with relief and he dives for you but Mimikyu hisses at him, her ragdoll features contorting horrifically and he comes to a skidding halt, letting out a rather high-pitched shriek in progress. "W-what is that?"

“Mimi, this is Jace," you say as you flick a casual glance to the pokemon, "Jace is good.”

“…Jace good?” she says.

“Yeah.”

“Mi…okay.”

"Jace, this is Mimikyu. She prefers a ragdoll disguise than a Pikachu one."

"Oh, I see."

“That thing can talk,” Tanner says with wide eyes as Mimikyu slowly releases you and slides down to occupy an empty space on your bed, her tendrils slither back inside her mouth which closes up, the stitches returning to their proper place and Jace is free to approach and embrace you with no issues.

“Yeah, she can talk,” you reply, and Tanner and Cole stare at the ragdoll, bewildered. Regardless, you’re more occupied with Jace.

“Are you okay?” you ask as you let go of each other.

He nods wildly, rubbing at his eyes and nose which is very wet. “I’m fine! Are you okay?!!!”

“Yep.”

As you pat Jace reassuringly on the back, the Ghostbunkers glance at each other awkwardly as they stand in the room and everyone looks at each other and it’s as though everyone is thinking the same thing.

“I had to bring these guys,” Jace moans aloud as he jabs a thumb to their direction, “They wanted to tag along.”

Tanner steps forwards. “Yeah. Um, I know you probably don't wanna see us. Me, in particular, which I can totally understand....but we wanted to apologise. We’re really sorry. _I’m_ sorry,” he murmurs. He looks badly battered and sickly in his fraying chalky-white hospital gown. The possession must have taken its toll on him.

“Me too,” says Cole. Unlike his best friend, Cole is in better shape.

“Can you forgive us?” Tanner asks morosely, and he gulps as though he's terrified of your response but you nod and he emits a huge sigh of relief. “Thanks. Oh god, I can't really explain it but I was still conscious when…” he gestures to your poor, bandaged arm, “I’m really sorry. Like so, so sorry. Hell, I don't think _sorry's_ good enough so I brought Runerigus. I think he should stay with you. He's actually really nice... a totally chill guy. Cole, bring him here.”

“Yeah, sure," Cole searches in his pockets and pulls out the capsule which Tanner scoops up; he takes a minute step and leaves it for you on your table then returns to stand sheepishly before you with Cole at his side.

“We’re sorry,” Tanner says again, hanging his head low, “I’m not gonna let this slide, you know. Rose is a double-crossing, no-good Raticate bastard.”

You and Jace nod in agreement.

“I made him richer,” you murmur, “I can’t believe it.”

Cole and Jace appear confused and toss their gazes to you.

"His ancestor _Edward Rose_ was a painter," you explain, "and he died before he could complete a painting, which was the one we found in the basement. It was a map, and it led to a treasure. I asked Chief Inspector Graves to investigate the art gallery but he says they didn't find any painting so obviously Rose has taken it and now there's no evidence of its existence. By now I'm pretty sure Chairman Rose has used it to find the hidden treasure, sold it or hid it away."

"Damn it, he's a clever bastard, I'll give him that," Tanner grunts out, "Cole, what about our video? We recorded it, right?"

"....I hate to say it but the video footage doesn't work. The moment we went into the basement, the recording went fuzzy."

"Yeah, that was probably Edward Rose's doing," you reply, “Rose will make sure it’s as though it never existed so we can’t persecute him or claim compensation.”

“Well, we’re not going to let him get away with it. I’m still going to press charges. Two can play at this game, ya know? I’ll let you know what happens, okay? It’s not fair on us. He used us. We’ve all been played and what happened last night was…crazy, it was so crazy, man.”

“Yeah, it was crazy,” Cole echoes, nodding.

And Tanner shrugs helplessly, lifting a hand and pinching the middle of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “I have no words, man. I mean I don’t really wanna Ghostbunk anymore,” he admits, “Cole doesn’t want to either.”

“Yeah, I don’t wanna Ghostbunk,” Cole says, nodding again.

Although it is of no particular interest to you, you discover Cole is different on his own; once he is paired with Tanner, he seems devoid of personality and reliant on the more confident and boisterous Tanner.

“Anyway. We’ll let you know how we get on,” Tanner finishes.

“Sure. Good luck.”

“Thanks. Good luck to you too. Here, uh…this is our number, if you ever need our help.”

“ _I doubt it_ ,” Jace whispers, only for you to hear, but you elbow him and smile politely at Tanner.

“Thank you.”

Without anything else to say, Tanner and Cole apologise once again...for almost everything - for making fun of you, for mauling your arm etcetera; you accept their heartfelt apology and they leave your room silently.

"Wow, they were so sorry." Jace says and you nod. "Damn, I should've recorded it."

“Jace-"

"I'm kidding!"

"Well...I’m sorry too,” you mutter.

“Huh? What...? No, no, what are you apologizing for? You did nothing wrong, chuck.”

“It was too dangerous. I should’ve known. You got hurt because of me.”

“Oh c'mon, look at me. I’m fine!!! I'll always be fine,” he says, before he plops his hand atop your head and ruffles your hair; you muster a weak smile as he punches you in the elbow and shoulders playfully, “So...Leon saved you…?”

“Yeah. I’ve told him to stay away from me.”

Jace crosses his arms and nods to himself. “Good, he’s partially responsible for this.”

“I didn’t have to take the case; it was my decision.”

“Yeah, but if you didn’t, you would’ve made Leon look bad.”

You sigh gently. “It’s not like that at all, Jace. Look, it’s happened and no-one’s to blame. Magnolia and Graves don’t want me to work on these cases anymore and I'm going to listen to them. I’m going to go on a break. Well, there's still Spiritomb to catch but from now on, I'm just going to take it easy.”

Jace seems surprised with your resolution. “…I see."

“So, let's not dwell on this anymore. What’re you going to do now?”

“Oh, uh, I've been told I can go home," Jace utters, rubbing the back of his head, "and my friend from Sinnoh is actually coming to visit Galar, he's gonna be a guest judge for the Beauty Pageant, he's got some kind of exhibition match, he wants to try and see a Galarian Zapdos. Oh, and he's also here to inspect the Energy Plant."

"He sounds like a really busy guy."

"He is! Did I mention that he's a gym leader too? And he’s gonna stay at my place so I gotta clean up my flat and-"

You wait for Jace to finish only to see that he is staring limply into space before he whips his head to you and you stare at him in confusion. "What’s wrong?”

“By Jove, I’ve got it!” he exclaims loudly, his jaw hanging open, “Duckie, now that you're not gonna take on any cases, I take it you're pretty much free for the next couple of days???”

“Yeah, I guess…”

“Okay, okay, I’ll give you a call, alright?”

“…Uh, sure.”

“Right, I gotta go. Will you be okay on your own? Anyone picking you up?”

“Yeah. Graves.”

Jace hesitates, then says, "Arceus help you."

"Thanks," you reply, with an all-knowing nod.

After exchanging goodbyes, Jace dashes off and you’re on your own again; glancing at Runerigus’ capsule, you will deal with him at another time. Apparently he's a chill guy.

You’ve still to finish your drawing of Mimikyu and she’s been sitting quietly and very patiently beside you on the bed, occupying herself by playing with some loose threads of your blanket so you resume your sketch of her before colouring it with the crayons and once you’re done, you lift the paper high in the air with a grin and show Mimikyu who looks up and she hops onto your shoulder again to peer at your drawing, pleased with your efforts.

“Mi mi,” she croons, “ _Me look good_.”

You giggle as she squeaks with delight. “Come on, let’s go hang this up,” you say with a grin, and Mimikyu nods.

Leaving your room for the second time, you make your way to the children’s ward and find the same room where you had asked to borrow the paper and crayons, and with the box in hands, you swiftly return the items where the little girl from before is now sticking crayons into her ears and a nurse is trying to stop her.

Returning to the main corridor, you locate the wall with the drawings and scour for an empty spot and once you’ve pinpointed an empty space, you use some blu-tack from another portrait, splitting some of it up, and use it for your own drawing. You proceed to stick Mimikyu’s picture on the wall, pressing hard on the corners to ensure it’s sticking well and Mimikyu nods with happiness and claps using two tendrils. 

“Thank you, mi mi,” she says, nodding vigorously with gratitude.

“You’re very welcome, but it would be nice if I could see what’s under your disguise and draw the real you.”

Mimikyu blinks at you, then shakes her head vigorously, “...If you see _mi,_ me will kill you and me....me don’t want that. Me actually like you.”

You stare at your Pokemon in surprise then giggle lightly.

It’s time to return to your ward but Mimikyu tears off several of the children's drawings of Pikachu along the way, prompting you to run and escape the ward as quickly as you can and before you're spotted although you're certain there might be CCTV around. It's too late to reprimand her anyway and as you pass the communal area where you see the door that leads to the yard, you remember last night’s events where Leon had tried to kiss you and your cheeks flare up.

You had almost kissed if Oleana didn’t interrupt.

“I wonder what Leon is doing...” you forlornly utter under your breath before you could help yourself.

You miss him, and you hope he's doing well and you’re brought out of your reverie when you hear someone ‘pssst psst psst’-ing at your direction and glancing over, an old man in a robe seated at a chess table by the window is beckoning you over. You look left and right, then point to yourself.

He nods. “Do you know how to play chess?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh lovely. Would you like to play against me? None of these bozos can.”

Graves won’t be coming for another three hours.

“Sure,” you say, with nothing to lose and tonnes of time to spare.

Thus you head over and sit down on the drab-looking chair, staring at the worn pieces before you pick them up one by one and begin fixing them into their appropriate positions on the board. The old man helps, setting up his own pieces on his side.

The old man looks familiar and he too seems to recognize you. He says, “Aren’t you Leon’s girlfriend?” 

“Uh, no, we're not...we're not together.”

" _Yet_ ," he says.

You cringe.

“I remember you were together though,” he adds.

"Yeah, I was visiting him when he was in hospital.”

“And now it’s your turn.”

You nod as he snorts with laughter; he asks you what happened but you tell him it’s a long story, to which he tells you he has all the time in the world, so you recount the tale of Rose and the haunted art gallery as the game begins.

“Uh-huh, I see, then what happened?” he asks; he moves his pawn forwards to which you counter.

You tell him about Runerigus, Tanner, Cole, the possession. Everything.

“What other cases have you worked on?” he asks. You're surprised he's listening and not questioning your sanity as most do.

You tell him about the ghost of South Miloch as your game progresses and you're taking the lead and soon, your story has caught the attention of a passing old lady using a walking frame.

“Did you just say the ghost of South Miloch?” she says with a slight, nasally pitch to her voice, and she turns to you and the old man questioningly before she adds, “I saw it with me own eyes!”

“Sally, this young lady solved the case and broke the curse,” the old man says, and the woman subjects you to an incredulous look.

“Oooh, did you, sweetheart?” and old Sally hobbles to the closest seat nearest to your chess table and plops herself down. “Molly, come here! This is the girl who solved the Miloch case! I told you I wasn’t seeing things! I told you I saw a ghost!”

She’s addressing another elderly woman who’s seated near the telly on a plushy couch with today’s newspapers propped up in her withered hands. Upon being called, Molly looks away from her paper behind her spectacles and glances over; Sally excitedly beckons her over to join with a little wave and a toothy grin and she sighs and gets up slowly, then shuffles over and joins her on the couch.

Glancing at the OAPs, it seems you have gathered an audience who are interested in listening and learning about all your exploits.

“Well? Go on then, dear, tell us more,” Sally says with a gummy smile, and you blink wide-eyed at them.

“Oh, um…well, it was to do with a will and a massive family inheritance..."

And so you share with them the details about the case, from the very beginning of the investigation, through to the middle and to the very end though you do omit names for privacy; the chess game seems to have become forgotten and before you know it, you’ve attracted a small crowd so you move to one of the sofas near the television which grants you a full view of the entire communal area so your small group can listen and gather around you properly. They nestle themselves on the couches, listening keenly as you eagerly recount your tales of hidden treasures, lost loves and spooky phantoms.

Suddenly, a nurse enters the room and calls your name loudly.

Pausing in mid-sentence, you glance over and see Graves standing beside her. He takes one look at you, then at the elderly patients who have gathered around you and raises a brow.

“We’re going now,” he barks.

Time had flown by so quickly.

“Okay,” you rise and leave your seat and your crowd of elderly patients begin to whine but they’re quickly dispersed by the nurses. You tell them your online blog contains more details though you’re aware that they probably don’t really know how to work the internet and they should ask their tech-savvy grandchildren.

Checking the clock on the wall, it's then you realise Leon hadn’t come to visit you after all.

...

Leon has been trying to visit you but is always prevented to do so at the very last minute. He's had a photoshoot that's taken up his entire morning and afternoon, then once he's finished and he thinks he has time to go to the hospital, if it isn’t a fan asking for a photo and autograph, it’s Rose asking him to head over to a route to help sort something out before he's directed to a city or another route for something else.

He’s keen to visit you and checking the clock on his phone, he sees the hours trickle one by one yet the moment he thinks he has a minute to spare, he is lulled into a false sense of security as something else crops up and he’s forcibly whisked away.

You got him a gift last time and so he is set in his mind to get you a gift too; he’s already got Vulpix but she isn't available to be collected yet so he's keen to get you something else.

Aware that you’re going to be discharged soon, if not _now_ , he quickly finishes up his task and uses this opportunity to venture to the hospital before he's missed. He sends you a quick message to let you know that he is coming.

On his way, he enters a gift shop on the outskirts filled with quaint décor and with Charizard, he commences some casual browsing where he eventually settles to purchase a bouquet of multicoloured flowers which he is quite certain you will like. The florist has reassured him on this, too. 

Without further ado, Leon heads to the hospital.

And as you’re packing your bag in your room, Graves knocks on the door, enters and asks, “You ready?”

“Yeah,” you say, as you sling the bag over your shoulder and you make sure you have Runerigus and Mimikyu’s capsule whilst Gengar lingers in your shadow.

You try one more time to message Leon but your reception suddenly decides to go kaput and you have been unable to get through to him or receive messages for the past hour or so. 

Graves waits outside as you spare one more glance to your now-empty room, at the pristine bed, the empty table and chair. The blinds are pulled up and the sun’s setting, casting a beautiful orangey glow within and your face falls when you check the clock again and throw your glance to the door as though you’re expecting a certain purple-haired someone to come rushing in, panting and looking adorably sweaty and breathless whilst unnecessarily and continuously apologising for being late and you will smile and tell him it’s fine and –

“Alright then, let’s go.” Graves says, swinging a set of car keys with one finger.

"Did you talk to Rose?"

"I did. I'll fill you in later. Let's grab something to eat first.”

"Okay."

You leave the room with Graves carrying your bag for you and promptly head down the corridor, arriving at the lift. Graves presses the button, whistling. He spots a nurse who smiles at him and he clears his throat.

“Good evening, ma’am.”

“Hello Chief Inspector Graves. Is this your daughter?”

“Uh….sort of.”

The nurse passes sweeping looks between you and the much older Graves, and he appears to have also realised his mistake; whilst you roll your eyes, Graves splutters out an explanation but the nurse leaves with no further follow up.

“When’s this stupid lift coming,” Graves ends up complaining loudly. “Hurry up, damnit.”

There are two lifts but it seems they are exceptionally slow.

Downstairs and Leon with flowers anxiously waits for the lift to arrive, hoping he’s not too late.

People are actively staring and he will wave and smile but they appear to respect his privacy and so he's mostly left alone though the massive bouquet in his hands forces some brows to raise. Charizard helps preen him, licking his claws and tidying his hair, pinching loose strands together and flattening them over the sides of his head. Leon grins at his pokemon and Charizard attempts to give him a thumbs up.

The lift arrives and he steps in; the lift begins to ascend.

Upstairs and the lift doors open and Graves mutters, “Finally, took it long enough,” he grumbles and grunts but lets you enter first and then hops in himself, pressing the button for the basement where the carpark is.

And as the doors begin to close, you hear the sound of the lift opposite yours opening with a loud ‘ping’ and as you look up, the doors of your lift slide to a close, but through the tiny one inch gap, you think you see a familiar shade of purple -

\- and Leon steps out, just as the doors to the lift opposite his has closed and begins descending.

He rushes towards the direction of your room with flowers in hand but the door is open and the bed is neatly made and the room is empty.

Confused, he returns to the nurse’s desk and asks for your whereabouts.

“Oh, she just got in that lift,” the nurse says, pointing to the aforementioned elevator, “Literally one minute ago. You just missed her.”

For the first time in Leon’s life, he was devastated.

...


	17. Leon with Flowers, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leon finally gets the chance to see you, you bond with Graves (kind of) and you also try to teach your pokemon English

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 19.11.2020

** Leon with Flowers**

** (Part 2) **

…

…

["I don't know how to describe the places I was in today, the searing pain and torment of thousands and thousands of beings, myself with them, tortured to their breaking point and then beyond. I did not want to believe that regions of such unspeakable horror existed. I moved through layer after layer of anguish, descending into more and more primitive levels until eventually I reached a level I can only liken to hell itself. Excruciating pain. The suffering tears you apart until you've died a thousand times and can't die any more. Then you find a way to die some more."

\- A Perinatal Interpretation of Frightening Near-Death Experiences: A Dialogue with Kenneth Ring, by Christopher M. Bache, Ph.D.]

…

…

It’s time for dinner and you are starving but unfortunately for you, Graves cannot cook even if his life depended on it and so he takes you to _Bob’s Your Uncle_ in Circhester for a swanky three dollar fifty burger meal.

You stand beside Graves with your Rotom who continues struggling to get a signal; he isn't doing so well for some reason and you're beginning to think maybe he could be ill and a trip to the Pokemon centre might be needed.

Beside you, a father and daughter duo are ordering food at the counter adjacent to yours. The dad bears a striking resemblance to Rose and is extraordinarily loud as he orders from the menu whilst his daughter cringes and glances around, hoping no-one is staring at them.

Graves is unaffected.

“Yeah, she’ll have the, uh, Bob’s cheeseburger meal with the Bob shake-shake fries and a Bob soda. I’ll have a Bob’s triple cheeseburger with extra Bob special sauce, Bob large fries, a portion of Bob nuggets and the Bob spicy wings,” he says as he leans on the counter and stares up at the menu board that hangs off the ceiling; the lightbulb is about to give way and it crackles and fizzes weakly.

 _Is there anything here that isn’t ‘Bob’?_ you wonder to yourself as the cashier reiterates the order.

Even the toilet signs are labelled ‘Bobs’ and ‘Bobettes’.

The cashier punches the order in and Graves pays, then he grabs two Bob straws and some Bob napkins and Bob-BQ sauce. He tells you to search for a seat whilst he waits for the food.

You haven’t eaten at _Bob’s Your Uncle_ since Sonia took you a year ago or so, and the food is yummy but greasy and mostly geared towards families and kids; you find a quiet seat away from a large family of six where the exhausted-looking parents deal with their screaming children who are playing with plastic Centiskorch figurines.

And Graves arrives in a few minutes with a large tray of food.

“Here we are,” he says, placing the tray down and rubbing his hands together as you glance at the two wrapped burgers, the fries, the nuggets and wings; he begins stripping the paper covers of the Bob straws and hands one to you, “Help yourself.”

“Thanks.”

He holds up two Centiskorch figurines wrapped in plastic. “They gave me these for free. One for you and one for me.”

Although it's been a while, Graves still treats you like a baby.

You want to decline but Graves hands you one and pockets his own, then picks up his large Bob burger, inspects it briefly before taking a large bite.

“How's your arm?” he grunts out.

"I'm fine. How was your talk with Rose?"

"Oh. Right. Yeah, this is for you," Graves fumbles in his pockets before he pulls out an envelope for your taking, "I know you told me to look for the painting but we swept the entire area and found no painting made of human skin, hair and blood."

"Damn it. Rose hasn't contacted me for any follow-up nor has he mentioned anything regarding my payment."

"I covered it. You don't need to do a thing. I spoke to him about your contract and terms and conditions, also told him you're my goddaughter so we came to a mutual agreement. I managed to persuade Rose that he was being a bit too quick to penalise and you're still kids so you're bound to mess up and he agrees he's being harsh, so he says he understands your hard efforts and he says _thank you_ for everything you've done, so he's forking out a bit more than what was on your contract. But I don't want you speaking to Rose anymore and he don't wanna talk to you either."

"I didn't mess up," you bark as you lift the flap and pull out a little piece of paper lodged inside. It's a cheque and the figure is huge. In fact, the sum is bigger than any case you've taken. Your eyes widen in their sockets at the extortionate amount and you gape at Graves.

"You did well," he says.

"This is hush money," you hiss, waving the cheque in the air.

"Just be glad you got some kind of compensation."

"What about Tanner and Cole?"

"They got paid too. The amount was less than yours, of course." 

"Are you serious?! They got paid off too???" you exclaim. Graves merely blinks numbly and you growl in response, your fist curling tightly around the cheque, "I don't want it."

He narrows his eyes, puts down his burger and you know he's serious when the food is no longer his priority. Looking at you squarely in the eye, Graves jabs a finger at your direction and says, "Here's some advice: take the damn money."

"You don't understand-"

"No, I do understand. You're bitter and angry and you look like you're in the wrong. He used you and he's managed to shift it in his favour. He got away with it and I get how you're feeling, with the injustice of it all. But this is Chairman Rose of Macro Cosmos we're talking about and we have no proof of whatever shady business he was up to which you and I both know, and this is the best I could do. And I'm very sorry, but you need to accept it, okay?"

"But-"

"This is a life lesson. Learn from this."

".............Fine," you begrudgingly grunt under your breath after a prolonged and insufferable, tense bout of hesitation, and you angrily stuff the cheque into a random pocket of your bag and concentrate on devouring the rest of your meal. 

The atmosphere has turned horrendous and as usual, it's because you and Graves are at odds some way or the other and an uneasy silence spawns between you and your godfather. Frustrated, you discover you may no longer have any appetite if you look at him any longer therefore you avert your gaze to the window where various passerbys with their Snoms and Bergmites brush past and Graves focuses ahead at the wall behind your head. Occasionally, he will clear his throat and grunt. 

"I got a question," he suddenly says.

“What?” 

“Are you dating Leon?”

You almost choke on a fry. “No.”

His expression scrunches with mild disbelief whilst you avert your glimpse to your lap and Graves raises a brow.

"I know that look. I know what that means," he says, but your lips remain sealed. "Alright, you don’t wanna tell me. That’s fine. It’s none of my business anyway. As long as you’re not doing drugs or smoking or whatever, I’m not going to pry.”

You suppose you can tell him, Graves being your godfather and all.

“Leon and I met in the Wild Area a while ago; this was before the Giant's Seat incident. He helped me with a case, and afterwards I warned him not to go near the Giant’s Seat due to the missing people. He somehow went there anyway and I saved him. He wanted to thank me so I had dinner at his house. I guess you can say it’s strictly business.”

“Business….?”

You nod. “Then I took Rose’s case and Leon came and-“

Graves waits for you to finish but you have frozen in your seat so he says, " _And?_ ” 

“He came to save me,” you murmur, “That’s the first thing he did. He raced over to save me.”

He observes as a smile blooms on your face and you sigh. As you think about Leon, your smile widens.

"I know that look as well," Graves utters, brows raising a further time as he grabs a napkin and dabs at the corner of his mouth. "Well, it's about time you got yourself a boyfriend. And I'm damn relieved it's not that pal of yours, Jace. It's great that it's the Champion, I don't need to vet him."

"What do you mean?"

"I have a right to know and meet the boy you're dating. Your dad will be so worried-"

You and Graves blink at each other, before he sighs.

"You know, when you were unconscious, they said you called out for your parents a lot," he mutters, "I have a photo of them. I think you should have it.”

Placing his burger down, Graves wipes his greasy hands clean with a wet wipe before he pulls out his wallet from the pocket of his jacket and brings out a glossy print.

You take it off him after you settle your own burger down and wipe your hands. It’s a small photo of your mother and father sitting on a picnic mat with a baby bouncing on their laps. It’s you, and beside them are their pokemon: Ghastly and Sableye. You also spot a young Graves with a blonde-haired young woman to their left.

“Is that Ellen?” you ask, “your girlfriend?”

Graves raises a brow, surprised. “How’d you know?”

“I remember her.”

“I’m surprised you do.”

“I remember mum and dad mentioning her a few times. What happened to her?”

“She passed away."

“…I wasn’t aware. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“Do you mind if I ask what happened?”

“Car crash. It was a while ago, I've dealt with it.”

You wonder if this is Graves’ attempt to bond with you and your table grows quiet as Graves chews silently before he swallows down the rest of his burger.

“I don’t like to think about it,” he says when he’s finished, “…If she went to heaven or hell or not. I like to just think that she’s…well…that’s it. It’s over. You’re gone. There’s nothing. It’s…a simulation or something. I don’t like to think about what’s on the other side. I don’t want to think about returning to this earth. This is hell, I believe. This is punishment.”

Aware that you’re discussing with Graves about mortality and this is the most he’s spoken to you about _the great beyond_ , you sit up properly in your seat for a change.

“There are accounts from those who experience NDE’s-“

“What’s that?”

“'Near Death Experience'.”

“Oh.”

“Anyway, these accounts insinuate the existence of a heaven and hell. There are some who saw a light or experienced overwhelming peace, and then there are those who describe descending into an unending darkness and hearing the most inhumane noises known to man. And lastly, some saw nothing but darkness and a hoofed creature.”

“Good grief,” Graves chokes out, and he looks uncomfortable so you decide to stop.

“Try not to see it that way,” you add in an attempt to lighten the gloomy atmosphere, “life is too short. Make the most of it while you can.”

Graves wipes at his forehead with a clean napkin before he nods briefly. “Listen, kid, I’m sorry if you ever felt like I wasn’t there for you or if I didn’t do enough. I think about that night and I...I miss your father a lot. I miss your family. And I know you’re still mourning for them,” he says, “I know.”

"I-"

Rotom flies from your pocket and zooms into the air, grinning widely. "I'm baaaaaack! ZZzzzignal!!! Bzz bzz bzz! Zrttt! Oh my dayzzz, you've received five mezzagezzz and three mizzzzed callzzzz from Le-Le-Le-Leon!"

"Uh...Is your phone okay?" 

"Yeah, he's just excited." 

You grab Rotom and he allows you to check what Leon has sent you: he tells you he dropped by the hospital but you had left. He's been trying to reach you and he called Sonia but she doesn't know where you are either. You quickly type a reply, apologising for not being able to reply on time and that Graves had picked you up.

"Graves, can we go?" you ask, when you finish replying and Rotom moves to hover near your shoulder with a huge grin on his face. 

Your godfather grunts under his breath. "Fine, let me finish the fries first..."

After dinner, it’s getting late and although you're desperate to go home, Graves asks if you want to stay over. Graves has a house in Wyndon and he does have a room for you should you ever decide to stay with him but you decline because you’re used to staying with Magnolia and Sonia. Regardless, he tells you the room is available for you should you ever need it. 

He drives you to Wedgehurst, navigating his car over the bumpy road of Route 2 and he drops you off at the doorstep of the quaint house, parking the car beside the lawn; the front door subsequently opens upon your arrival and Magnolia comes hobbling out followed by Sonia, Poltea and Cutie.

You all share an embrace as Graves exits the car to open the boot to grab your possessions.

“Thank you, Inspector Graves,” Magnolia says as Graves waddles up with your bag slung over his shoulder.

“It’s nothing,” he says; he’s so tall he towers over your entire group.

“Would you like to stay for tea?”

“We already ate,” Graves says with a guffaw.

Everyone heads inside; Magnolia and Graves bring their conversation to the conservatory whilst Sonia helps you with your bag and you head upstairs together.

“You seem to be getting along better,” she comments as you climb the steps with the pokemon clinging to your shoulders.

“He’s trying his best,” you reply as Cutiefly nuzzles your cheek affectionately.

“Leon popped by earlier,” Sonia says, “He said he wasn't able to reach you and was dying to know if you were back home or not. When I said you weren’t, he left with Charizard. He looked really sad.”

"Yeah, I've had terrible signal problems all day," you reply, and Sonia raises a brow.

“I knew there was something going on between you,” she replies, before she flashes you a wide grin. “Don’t leave him hanging.”

“I already messaged him, Sonnie, don’t worry.”

Once you’re in your shared bedroom, Sonia plops down on her bed with a sigh and your shadow contorts in bizarre fashion; this can only mean one thing, and Gengar promptly emerges. He seems happier to be back home than in the hospital.

“Hey Gengar,” you say, whilst he swims around in the air, carefree. You rummage through your bag to find Mimikyu and Runerigus’ capsule and proceed to let them out.

Runerigus is the newest addition to your team and although you’re a little anxious to release him, Tanner has informed you he is a ‘chill guy’, which is a little odd to describe a pokemon but you take Tanner’s words to heart as the stone pokemon emerges before you. 

You were under the impression that he would be quite a large and intimidating pokemon but he is in fact, shorter than Gengar who looms over it. From what you know about Runerigus, they're solitary pokemon who can live for many years and their bodies consist of the grey slabs pieced together by cursed shadow matter. Your team is growing bigger but nevertheless your pokemon gather round and Sonia leaps from the bed to stand behind you, peering over your shoulders.

“Oh, a Runerigus…Where’d you get him from?” she asks as Runerigus looks around his surroundings cautiously.

“From a painting made out of human skin, hair and blood,” you reply, and she shudders violently, “I heard he’s nice.”

“Okay….”

You focus on the pokemon and say, “ _Welcome_ ,” as Runerigus exchanges glances between all of you, “I hope you like it here.”

Looking right and left with its single purple eye, it clasps its large hands together and nods. It appears to be trying to communicate as it continues shifting its gaze up and down until it spots Leon’s poster on your wall and appears stunned, glancing at his image. It shuffles over, its rocky body dragging against the floorboards and emitting sounds identical to a fork scraping on a plate; Sonia clamps her hands over her ears from the deafening noise.

It stops in front of Leon’s poster and turns to you, pointing at it eagerly.

“Ohh, I get it. You need something to haunt,” you say, and it nods fiercely. “Go ahead.”

It flaps its arms up and down energetically before it inspects Leon’s print from head to toe, then it proceeds to spring up and off the ground and dives for the poster; you and Sonia stare with widened eyes; instead of crashing into the wall, it dissolves inside and the poster ripples.

Leon’s eye, which was once a beautiful golden hue, converts to a brutal shade of violet.

“Are you sure about this?” Sonia asks, cocking her head and crossing her arms with her finger under her chin.

You nod as Runerigus looks around before his eye creases with content. “Yep. He looks right at home. I'm fine with that.”

“As long as he doesn’t peep on us whilst we’re changing, I’m fine too.” Sonia adds.

Runerigus rolls his single eye.

As the evening progresses, Runerigus returns to his capsule after hanging around in Leon's poster for a while, Graves bids farewell after he's chatted with the professor and returns home, Magnolia goes to sleep and Sonia asks if you want to go with her to attend some exclusive makeup event with Nessa that’s taking place in _Hotel Ionia_. You politely decline because you want to spend some time with your Pokemon. 

Therefore, you are alone and left to your own devices and you haven't received any response from Leon yet and you don't know where he is or what he's up to. However, instead of waiting around like a lovesick Lillipup, you opt to be productive and since you’re no longer going to take on any cases for the time being, you make some edits to your homepage, outlining that you will go on a much needed hiatus.

You also begin packing away some of your tools, namely the Khira dagger and your talismans which you tuck away into a safety box that you keep under the bed.

With Graves’ photo, you place it inside the box where it joins a small stash of old, salvaged photographs. 

One photograph depicts your parents on their wedding day and the other is the last photo you took together as a family: a trip to Dendemille Town with a rented RV. You rub your thumb gently over their smiling faces.

Another photograph contains yourself and Jace. Not only did you have a questionable hairstyle and fashion sense but you appear jaded with a timid smile whilst Jace is grinning and shaking your hand, marking the beginning of a long-lasting friendship. Considering how long you have been friends, it’s then you realise Jace isn’t exactly the best candidate to take over should anything happen to you and you will need to find someone else….but that’s a thought for another day, you suppose.

Next, you grab your old journal where you had detailed Ezra’s teachings and all the symbols and exorcism prayers he taught you. You flip through the notes you made on pronunciation, translations and all your trials and errors and your mistakes.

As you continue packing, you pull out your radio and dad's journal from your bag which you will continue to keep with you for now. 

Although you're not going to take on any cases, you head to the Pokemon research lab with the pokemon to conduct some research on Mimikyu and her speech capabilities.

The walk doesn’t take long and recalling that people actively call you the _Witch of Wedgehurst_ behind your back, it is uncomfortable to make eye contact with anyone along the way and you pull the hood over your head, stuffing your hands into the pockets of your garment and keep your head down.

Once you arrive, you unlock the door, head inside and meander to your work space.

As usual, your desk is rather dusty and your whiteboard is still in the same place where you had left it a while ago; the pictures of the missing gym challengers and the map of the Wild Area are still fastened over the surface.

Although you hesitate for a split second as you scrutinise their smiling faces, you quietly remove them and tidy the photos away in one of your drawers before you grab an eraser and scrub away your notes, bullet points and other various scribbles. Once the board is cleared, you use a black marker pen and on the newly cleaned space, write some letters of the alphabet on the whiteboard as large as you can and set up three chairs for the pokemon for your experiment.

Releasing them, Gengar and Mimikyu sit down whilst Runerigus hops up on the seat and his head almost hits one of the low-hanging lights which makes you grimace. Nevertheless, he clamps his hands together patiently and since he’s been under your care, he has been a rather docile pokemon despite living in a human skin slash hair portrait.

You glance at your pokemon one by one and smile. “Hi everyone, thanks for joining me today. We're not going to work on any cases for the time being so now that I have some downtime, I’d like to test your ability to speak. I’m aware Mimi can say a lot already, but I’d appreciate if everyone can join in.”

Everyone nods and you grab one of Magnolia’s wooden canes from the side, using it to tap the first letter which represents _A_.

“This is the letter ‘A’,” you pronounce it loud and clearly for them, “Mimi, I’d like you to go first. Repeat after me.”

“A,” says Mimi, with virtually no problem whatsoever.

“Good job,” you reply and Mimikyu giggles, wiggling two tendrils happily in the air.

Now it’s Gengar’s turn.

He struggles, clenching his teeth viciously before he grunts out, “Geng-ah.”

“Not bad. but try saying ‘ _ah_ ’ first.”

”Ah-geng,” says Gengar, and Mimikyu lets out a snort of laughter.

“Runerigus?”

Everyone turns to the grudge pokemon next and Runerigus has been silent the entire time; however, you're amazed when he emits a rather high-pitched, grating shriek from somewhere.

“ _Screeeee……!!!_ ”

You, Gengar and Mimikyu uncontrollably wince until he stops.

"Scree?"

“Interesting," you murmur under your breath, "And this is the letter ‘B’…Runerigus, do you want to have a go?"

“ _Screeeee……screeeee-eee-ee!!!”_ Runerigus shrieks wildly as he flaps his hands up and down. As though aware he is unable to properly pronounce, Runerigus blinks for a fraction for a second and tries again, “ _SCREEEEE!!!_ ”

“Mi mi!!! Mi mi mi mimi _kyuu_!” Mimikyu jumps up and down in her seat and rants heavily in response to Runerigus’ screeching, pointing her claws at him accusingly.

“Calm down, it’s not his fault,” you say, as tensions run high.

Poor thing, beads of sweat begin dotting the stone slab and so unfortunately, you agree he should stop.

It’s Gengar’s turn now, and he says, “Beng-ar.”

You take down notes in your journal, scribbling down how Runerigus has zero speech capabilities and Gengar can only say his species name with mild alterations despite possessing human teeth and a human tongue.

Mimikyu on the other hand, can pronounce the letters perfectly and proceeds to recite much of the alphabet with very little trouble. She tells you she learned some words when she watched TV whilst pretending to be some kid's toy. She smugly dances and happily twirls in her seat whilst Runerigus and Gengar are totally defeated and throws their limp gazes to the floor.

“Guys, it’s okay,” you try to cheer them up but they look at you sadly.

The pokemon are dejected despite your reassurance and a twang of guilt hits you in the gut until a gentle knock on the door captures your attention. Looking away from your unhappy pokemon, the door to the research lab squeaks open and a purple-haired young man enters the establishment with Charizard trailing after him. 

You freeze on the spot and the atmosphere in the lab becomes intense in nanoseconds. Your heart jumps in your throat upon his arrival and he glances at his surroundings before his gaze lands on you as you stand limply by the whiteboard and once his golden eyes meets yours, you struggle with your breath as your cheeks grow warm, your gut clinching uncomfortably.

It's Leon.

He's here.

He's _finally_ here.

You swallow down the growing lump in your throat as he carefully strides over with his hands behind his back.

He's in a new shirt. The muscles in his arms seem to bulge more than ever. His hair looks longer, more tame. Did he always smile at you like that? Did he always _look_ at you like that? You are noticing these little things about him all of a sudden though you're unsure why. 

“H-hi Leon,” you stutter out whilst you tuck a loose lock of hair behind your ear that falls in front of your eyes, “What are you doing here?”

It’s happening. It’s happening all over again. The blushing, the stammering, the racing heart, the butterfrees dancing in the stomach. It shouldn't be happening, but it is.

And then you remember the almost-kiss.

As you fret on the spot, Leon says, “I-I came by the house but no-one came to the door so I...I thought I’d find you here.”

He's stammering too, his voice laced with nervousness.

It's not just you.

Leon anxiously steps closer, his light footsteps echoing audibly over the lab's pristine floor; he stops a short distance from you and shoots a quick glance at your pokemon in their little chairs in front of the whiteboard with all letters of the alphabet and chuckles, “What’s this? Pokemon School?”

“Um…Sort of. Mimi can speak human language so I wanted to test the others too...”

“That sounds interesting, how’s it going so far?”

“…S’okay,” is your timid reply as you clutch the cane to your chest with both hands and shift your gaze to the side.

He smiles warmly at you and as you dare to look up, your eyes meet for a second and simultaneously, you both look away. Whilst you hastily cast your glance to one of the bookshelves on the second floor, Leon throws his glimpse to a random potted plant in the corner.

Clearing his throat loudly, he stands with his hands gingerly placed behind his back. In fact, he’s been holding his hands behind his back the entire time. He appears to be puffing his chest out a little. 

“I went to the hospital; I wanted to visit you but you weren’t there."

You nod. Your gazes meet but this time, you do your best not to look away and neither does he. “Yeah…I got discharged and Rotom couldn't get any signal until just there. Sorry.”

His expression lights up when he realises you do not look away and you witness him falter slightly on the spot under your piercing stare and he lets out a nervous-sounding laugh. "Ah, it's okay, there's no need to apologise. I took too long and couldn't find the time to go and see you. I should be the one apologising."

You shake your head.

There is another quiet moment between you two albeit not an uncomfortable one as you stand near one another, staring; Leon’s voice seems to have gone into hiding as you smile at him and his smile widens too before he murmurs, “I, uh…I wanted to give these to you."

He reveals his hands, slowly lifting them out and presenting a large bouquet of beautiful, multi-coloured flowers from behind his back.

Your eyes widen thoroughly; you were not expecting this at all. 

Gengar gawks whilst Mimikyu blinks. Charizard wheezes and chortles and Runerigus flings glances between you and the Champion.

“Um, I….I hope you like them," he stutters, coughing into his fist briefly. 

Leon has brought you _flowers_.

Choosing to lurk behind the plethora of florets, he does not see you gently reaching for the bouquet, and your fingers brush together accidentally; he stiffens all over as you wrap your hands firmly around the light pink cellophane wrapper before you gently lift it out of Leon’s grasp. He watches as your eyes sparkle with delight, the corner of your lips curling into a fond smile as you carefully run a finger over the petal of a delicate looking lilac flower.

“They’re beautiful,” you murmur softly, “Thank you, Leon.”

His confidence fully restored by your words, Leon grins widely and he takes a small step forwards; however, he's also quick to change his mind, clearing his throat once more and returning to his previous spot. With freed hands, he removes his cap and cradles it gingerly in front of his chest, his messy hair sticking in all sorts of directions.

“I’m sorry, I would do this better if I knew how.”

"Do what?” 

“Courting you."

You blink wide-eyed as your gazes lock together once again before you decide to bring the bouquet closer to you, covering as much of your face as you can behind the flowers.

“I didn’t know what you liked so I asked the florist for help,” he admits as he hides his lower face behind his cap, cheeks growing red.

You’re both hiding behind whatever you can get your hands on.

And he’s blushing again, which you think is cute but so are you; your face is also heating up uncontrollably.

“T-thank you, that’s very thoughtful,” you reply with a shaky but excited lilt embedded into your voice, “do you want to stay? I can make some tea….”

Leon’s expression dampens at once.

“………I can’t,” he almost groans aloud, “I have a busy night ahead.”

“Oh, well…maybe another time then.”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

“S-sure.”

“No problem.”

"Perhaps...you'd like to go camping with me again?"

"I'd love to."

"Great!"

"Just let me know when you're free."

"O-of course."

Once again, a sea of silence blankets the two of you until Charizard taps Leon on the shoulder and snorts loudly, his snout emitting short puffs of air. He jerks his head towards the door, growling.

“Right, I’d best be off now…I’ll see you,” Leon mutters, and you nod.

“Bye, Leon.”

“Goodbye.”

Leon returns his cap over his head, adjusting it properly; he stares intently at you and an immense bloom of joy swells within your chest as you clutch the flowers to yourself. Swept up by the longing depth of his gaze, you hide your face behind the flowers once again. Your cheeks are so hot, even the petals feel warm. He’s only forced to stop looking at you when Charizard taps him on his shoulder once more, indicating that they need to return to their duties.

"Goodnight," he says, with a widening grin.

"Goodnight."

Reluctantly, Leon turns away. As he makes his way to the exit, he will occasionally turn round and smile at you and Charizard will wave and you wave back; the flame pokemon waddles after his trainer and you watch as they both leave the lab, but not before Leon subjects you to one last look over his shoulder. 

You’re finally able to breathe normally when the door closes behind them and Gengar and Mimikyu titter loudly in their seats whilst Runerigus slams his rocky tail against the floor with glee.

“Class dismissed,” you utter, and the pokemon are free to do as they please as you glance down at the bouquet in your hands.

Smiling, you lean down and take a quick whiff.

They smell heavenly.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Regrettably, I don't have any plans for Runerigus in this story. Reader's main partner Pokemon will be Gengar, followed by Mimikyu.
> 
> 2\. The Pokemon language is interesting, I'm not exactly sure how to portray it so stuck to the English alphabet for now lol.


	18. The Witch of Wedgehurst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your reputation precedes you and you get stoned, literally. Also, you discover the Miss Galar Beauty Pageant is actually on tonight. 
> 
> And a new case is in the making.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 25.11.2020

**The Witch of Wedgehurst**

...

...

["Oh please, say to me  
You'll let me be your man  
And please, say to me  
You'll let me hold your hand  
Now, let me hold your hand  
I want to hold your hand."

\- I Want To Hold Your Hand, The Beatles]

…

…

In the laboratory, you are occupied with Leon’s flowers and Pokemon School is forgotten for now. You are keen to display them and intend to keep them for alive for as long as possible, and you grab a pair of scissors from Magnolia’s stationary tub and find a spare vase in the cupboard underneath the sink which you rinse out before you fill it with some water.

You’re not a professional at flower arranging in any manner whatsoever but you carefully unravel the cellophane and neatly take the flowers out one by one, placing them over the table until the bouquet rustles, and you suddenly hear a loud squeak.

“What was that?”

Looking up and around, the ghost pokemon haven’t seem to have noticed. Gengar and Runerigus are playing upstairs, shadow tag or something, whilst you have left Mimikyu on her own with pieces of blank paper and some felt-tip pens.

Perhaps you’d heard wrong.

With an inward shrug, you pull out another flower and the squeaking returns and it occurs to you it’s coming from _within_ the bouquet so you gently pry some flowers apart and it’s then you see a tiny little yellow pokemon nestled within, blinking its massive, bright and wet eyes at you.

“Oh!” you exclaim, before you scoop the Sunkern out and hold it up in the base of your palms. “Oh my gosh, what are you doing here, little guy?”

It squeaks and jiggles up and down in your palm, shaking its two leaves happily.

“I wonder how long you were in there,” you murmur, before you gently place him over the surface of the table.

He ends up rolling around in a semi-circle and comes to a stop, lying on his back. Squeaking for you, he is unable to get up so you scoop him into your palms once more, inch a mug over and prop him up against the handle. He squeaks loudly with gratitude and you giggle.

“So cute…” you coo, as you reach over and pet him affectionately on the leaves. “You can stay right here with me.”

But he must be hungry and thirsty, you think, so you find Magnolia’s mini Phanpy watering can by one of the potted plants. It’s almost empty so you fill it in the sink and head over to your little Sunkern before you sprinkle some water over his leaves.

He blinks and looks up, then begins gulping some of the water and bounces up and down on the spot.

Pulling a seat out, you plop yourself down and pick up one of the flowers, snipping off an inch or so of the stem before you slip it into the awaiting vase.

The ghost pokemon eventually return to you, with Gengar slinking into one seat and Runerigus standing beside you and you smile at your pokemon as they gather around. Mimikyu pokes your arm with a claw and as you turn round, she's waving a piece of paper in the air; she wants to show you what she drew and you take the picture off her. It's a crude drawing of Mimikyu stabbing a Pikachu, complete with blood. Below, she has scribbled ‘ _Me Kill Pikachu_ ’. You put the drawing down, then turn to Mimikyu who giggles and waves her tendrils around happily in the air.

“….I think I’m gonna keep an eye on you from now on,” you murmur but she merely snickers and climbs into a seat.

With a shadowy claw, she picks up a single flower before she's joined by Runerigus who copies her action, twirling the flower around in his fingers and Gengar does the same.

“Ohh, do you want to help me out?” you ask with a smile, and everyone nods. “Thank you, I would like that very much.”

The pokemon respond cheerfully and together, you work on preparing the bouquet which doesn't take long with your pokemon helping you. Mimikyu and Gengar pass you the flowers one by one and you snip the stems off carefully and pass it to Runerigus who slips it into the awaiting vase. You finish up in a few minutes or so, and Runerigus appears to have taken a liking to flower arrangement and his skills are impressive. He’s very careful and gentle with the flowers which you are grateful for and once the vase is full, you empty the packet of flower food supplied and pick the vase up.

“Now grow strong, my pretties,” you say with a cackle, and your pokemon join in, grinning and chortling by your side. “Alright, let’s go home.”

The pokemon cheer and Gengar leaps into your shadow whilst Mimikyu and Runerigus return to their capsules.

You want to display the vase in the house, somewhere in the conservatory where it can get as much sunlight as possible. Donning your jacket, you slip Sunkern into your pocket since he doesn't have a pokeball yet and when you ensure that he won't slip out, you smile as he squeaks and nestles himself into the small slot. He looks rather cosy and you proceed to switch off all the lights of the lab and inspect the space once more in case you forgot anything, then carefully scoop the vase up with one hand, close the door and lock it behind you.

As you pull the key out, a loud swoop penetrates the atmosphere along with an alarmed squeak from Sunkern; a dark shadow has appeared from literally out of nowhere and with claws out, it dives for your bouquet and proceeds to tear at the flowers before you can stop it.

The momentum knocks the vase out of your hands and it meets the concrete, shattering into various pieces.

" _NOW!_ " 

You're staring wordlessly at the mess on the ground and so you don't even notice the trio of youngsters who jump out from the bushes by the lab with a loud battle cry and their arms are full of little pebbles, which they promptly begin to toss at your direction.

"Witch!" they yell, "take this, you evil witch!!"

Their voices are so far away, your gaze transfixed on the destroyed bouquet at your feet.

Making no effort to avoid the stones, one sharp pebble in particular smacks you in the side of the head and the edge tears at your skin.

Gengar immediately emerges from your shadow on the door, his eyes glowing a furious red as he holds his arms out. The stones stop in mid-air, surrounded by a dark purple glow, before they go shooting the opposite direction and towards the kids. He is joined by Runerigus who leaves his capsule in a burst of light. He guards you, preventing any loose stones from hitting you; they smack into his large and rocky body instead though the pebbles are akin to a piece of cork being thrown against a brick wall, and he roars as loudly as he can at the children. 

They wail and scream as Gengar pelts them in return with their own stones, and they spin on their heel to make a hasty retreat only to be met with Mimikyu.

" _Pick on someone your own size!!_ " Mimikyu growls, before her ragdoll disguise splits into two, unleashing many shadowy tendrils to smack them on their rears as they scrabble away. Spearow follows them, who is promptly returned to its pokeball by one of the kids.

She attempts to chase after them but you say, "Mimikyu, stop." 

"But-"

You shake your head and her ragdoll body pieces itself back together and she shuffles over to your side; you thank the pokemon for protecting you but the damage is done. Leon's flowers are ravaged and you gaze limply at the scattered pieces of the broken vase.

"...It's ruined," you mumble under your breath, before you emit a sigh and shake your head. "...I can't believe it."

You had them for less than fifteen minutes.

They were a gift to you.

From Leon.

_Leon._

Frustration claws its way into your system along with an overwhelming urge to mourn, and the corner of your eyes become prickled with tears; you dab at them hastily and Gengar pats you on the head whilst Mimikyu and Runerigus rub your back. You thank your pokemon again and lower yourself to a crouch, picking up the broken pieces. They join in, helping you tidy up the glass and the flowers silently, before Runerigus finds an intact white flower which survived the onslaught and he nudges it for your taking.

"Oh...Thank you, Runi."

His eye creases slightly before he plops his large hand atop your head and you smile at him as you hold the flower gingerly in hands. You will protect this flower at all costs.

"He says... _it's going to be okay_ ," Mimikyu pipes up and you nod.

"Thanks Mimi. Thanks everyone. C'mon...Let's go," you murmur.

With your pokemon by your side, the walk back home is a long one.

...

Sonia's not home yet and Magnolia and Yamper are still sleeping. It's just you on your own as usual. It's a typical night you suppose (aside from the stoning), and after you carefully put the salvaged flower into another vase in the conservatory, you lift Sunkern out from your pocket and settle him into one of the larger potted plants where he can sit in the soil and hopefully soak up all the nutrients he needs to grow healthy and strong. Sunkern glances around his new home and squeaks happily at you before burrowing inside, closing his eyes.

He's out for the night so you head upstairs to take a shower. Gengar, Mimikyu and Runerigus remain in the lounge, watching you plod upstairs with your head low.

"Let’s find those kids and kill them, mi mi," Mimikyu growls, curling one claw into a tight fist.

Gengar and Runerigus throw each other concerned glances before Gengar floats up and into the air, shaking his head.

"Then let's curse them, mi."

Gengar pauses, partially tempted, but shakes his head once more.

Killing or cursing children is not the answer so he iterates that they should focus on cheering up their trainer. 

He suggests they should call Leon, perhaps.

"Call Leon, mi?"

He nods, and Runerigus seems happy to go along with this plan too.

"Yes, let's do that, mi," Mimikyu replies, clapping two tendrils together, "Rotom?"

There is a brief silence until your phone comes hovering towards the lounge, having been summoned.

"Yo wazzzup, what'zzzz the - Bzzzrt!! _What???_ " 

Mimikyu envelopes Rotom with her tendrils and reels him in to sit in front of her, tapping at the screen with her claws, going through the phonebook and finding Leon's contact number. You only have five contacts so it didn't take long at all and she spots Leon's name and hastily presses the button. Rotom switches to phone mode and it rings for a few seconds. The ghost pokemon wait with baited breath as they huddle in front of your phone, watching the screen.

The screen flickers on before Leon abruptly appears.

" _Hi - oh, what's this?_ " he utters, shocked by what he's seeing.

"Mi hello."

" _Mimikyu?_ "

"Yes, it is mi, Mimikyu."

" _What's wrong?_ " Leon asks, before he asks for your whereabouts. Are you okay? Has something happened? Arceus, are you in trouble???

"It's an emergency, mi mi, the flowers. She is in trouble, mi. Come to the house."

" _I'll come over right now!_ " He exclaims without a second to spare; he promptly hangs up and Mimikyu giggles, clasping her tendrils together.

Her work here is done.

...

" _I can't fight it anymore. I ran away from you once. I can't do it again. Oh, I don't know what's right any longer. You'll have to think for both of us, for all of us_."

" _All right, I will. Here's looking at you, kid."_

" _I wish I didn't love you so much_."

Sappy, romantic music plays from the TV as you watch the couple on screen embrace tightly.

"They make it look so easy," you mumble as you sit slouched low on the sofa, grabbing a handful of chips from the bowl and shoving them into your mouth and crunching on them noisily whilst Gengar and Runerigus sit beside you, sipping their tea. 

Then the doorbell rings and there's someone pounding on the front door.

Who could that possibly be, and at this hour?

Did Sonia forget her key again?

You stop stuffing your face and emit an exhausted 'mrrgfhhh', before you drag yourself up and off the couch, yelling, "Sonnie, you're lucky I'm home tonight!" as you shuffle over. Once you're at the door, you peer through the peephole and gasp when you see who it is. "No way!" you exclaim under your breath. 

You hastily unlock the front door and throw it open, revealing that it is none other than a flustered-looking Leon who stands in full Champion gear on your doorstep.

For a second or so, you both blink at each other before spluttering out simultaneously: 

"Leon?!" "Are you okay?"

You blink whilst his face goes red.

"I'm okay." "Mimikyu called me and said you were in trouble!"

"...Sorry."

"Um. Y-you go first."

Leon subjects you to a look from head to toe; here you are barefoot with a large bag of original-flavoured chips in one hand. No trouble here.

You cringe, hoping he didn't hear you yelling about Sonia.

"I-I'm fine, Leon, there's no emergency," you toss a glance to the lounge where your Rotom phone and the rest of the Pokemon wave and waggle their fingers and claws at you. "Wait. You said Mimikyu _called_ you?"

He nods and notices the cut on your forehead.

You quickly piece two and two together and cringe again. ".....Oh god, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Leon. It's a false alarm. I'll keep a closer eye on Mimikyu from now on. I'm fine. Really, I am."

He does not look entirely swayed so you nod vigorously to convince him.

"Um, do you want to come in?" you ask, holding the door open. 

"Ah...I-I can't. The beauty pageant is tonight."

" _Tonight?!_ "

"Yeah."

You blink cluelessly as you had absolutely no knowledge of this but you supposed it was due to your lack of interest in current affairs. However, Leon didn't mention it to you either and neither did anyone else; you can only presume no-one in your limited social circle is interested in the pageant and you're brought out of your reverie when Leon raises a hand to carefully brush away some hair from the side of your face and you freeze on the spot as his fingertips gently press against the small wound.

You wince under his touch and he murmurs, "What happened?"

"I got stoned. Literally," you grumble with a roll of your eyes.

"Mimikyu mentioned something about flowers."

Your face falls. "Oh. Right. Um....yeah, about that..." you give Leon an exasperated look and sigh, "...they're ruined."

You tell him about the kids.

Leon's expression softens before he pulls his hand away to wrap around your own. "I'm sorry. Let me make it up to you. Come with me."

"...Where?"

He chuckles. "My house."

And Leon smiles reassuringly at you and so you nod and grab your coat. Returning your pokemon into their capsules, you slip into your shoes and fling a glance to the staircase. Magnolia hasn't woken up so you quietly lock the door behind you and join Leon on the stony path. He gives you a warm smile and you return his smile with a fond one of your own, pulling the lapels of your coat tighter to yourself. 

"So, how long do you have before they notice you're gone?" 

"Half hour or so."

"Really?"

"Yes, they think I'm in my dressing room."

"Oh, Leon."

He's snooping out to see you; this isn't like him at all, but you can't help but feel happy. 

"When Mimikyu called, I was so worried. I had to see you," he utters.

You pause slightly in mid-step, your heart fluttering for the umpteenth time; Leon responds with a sheepish smile.

As you meander further down the path with him, you sigh and throw your glimpse to the night sky. It's getting colder and Leon sticks close to you which you are grateful for as he provides some extra warmth to you just by being close.

Your footsteps echo one another and your shoulders nudge together. On several periods, you'll carefully slide your glance to his direction and you will see him smiling to himself. You like that about him, how he's always wearing a kind smile no matter what.

With that thought in mind, your cheeks warm up all over again and your fingers suddenly brush together as Leon steps a little closer to you than necessary and the sides of your palm briefly come into contact.

You stiffen somewhat yet you do not retreat from his action so your hands linger millimetres apart in some kind of limbo before Leon ultimately takes charge and uses his pinky finger to hook around yours and pull you in just a little closer to him. It's a careful and calculated movement on his part to test the waters but it's enough to make you blush.

As Leon glances at you from the corner of his eyes to gauge your reaction, you weave your pinky finger around his in return and for a while as you're walking along the linear path from Wedgehurst to Postwick, you wish this tender moment you are sharing with the Champion would never end, though you inwardly hope there would be more.

As though reading your thoughts, Leon decides to step it up a notch and slinks his ring finger around yours.

He's becoming bold for good reason, and you encourage him further by mimicking his action and looping your middle finger around his and this continues until the rest of your fingers entwine together and the two of you are holding hands very firmly. 

Neither of you say a word nor do you look at one another but your heart pounds and he clears his throat silently. You dare to sneak a peek at him again to see what he's up to, and you see he's got this goofy smile plastered on his handsome face and his cheeks are tickled pink.

His hand is much bigger than yours and also a lot warmer and the base of his palm is rather callused, probably from long and hard years of training with his Pokemon. Initially nothing else happens until Leon gives your hand a squeeze and you respond by rubbing your thumb over his and this sets off a brief fondling session where he slides his thumb over the smooth skin of your knuckles and you shiver somewhat before you squeeze his hand playfully in return. 

This enjoyable moment does unfortunately comes to an end when you arrive at Leon's house and as if on cue, the front door opens and Leon's mother pokes her head outside, glancing at the two of you in surprise.

"Leo!?" she exclaims, before she sees your joined hands and her eyes actively pop out of her sockets. "Oh my."

"Hi mum."

She giggles and holds the door wide open; ecstatic to see you both, she proceeds to usher you inside. "This is such a lovely surprise! Come in, come in, my dear!" 

"Thank you very much."

She's not alone. Hop emerges from the lounge, clutching Wooloo in his arms. "Lee???" 

"Hi Hop."

He shouts with joy, diving for his older brother, "What are you doing here???"

"Unfortunately I can't stay for long," Leon replies, chuckling. 

The grandparents are missing but you imagine they're most likely fast asleep. Leon sheepishly explains to his family why he's brought you over but his mother says no reason or explanation is necessary and she's extremely glad to have you over and see you again; you will need to catch up later, she says. She's smiling widely at you and you're not sure what's quite going on.

"What in the name of Arceus happened to you, dear?" Leon's mum asks; she has noticed the nasty cut on the side of your head and your bandaged arm.

"Ah....it's nothing. Just an accident."

"Oh dear, let's get that looked at ASAP," she hastily steers you to the kitchen where she seats you in a random chair and Leon follows, settling himself into the chair beside yours whilst Hop lingers at the doorway with Wooloo. Leon's mum bustles around the kitchen, locating the first-aid kit from a cupboard near the sink which she brings over; immediately, Leon begins sifting for the appropriate supplies.

"Mum, I can take it from here," he says, fishing out a cotton swab, some ointment and a clean plaster.

Surprised, Leon's mum nods and nudges the kit further for his taking. Then she hastily makes a swift exit, grabbing Hop and Wooloo along the way.

"Whoa!!" Hop exclaims, but she goes 'sshhhh, they need to be alone!' and then it grows silent.

You watch their retreating backs whilst Leon reaches over and dabs at your cut with the cotton, sweeping ointment over the wound.

"Tell me if I hurt you," he murmurs.

"...M'kay."

You sit still in the chair with your back straight as much as possible, head tilted to the ceiling slightly so Leon can brush the small cut with the ointment. He applies the plaster over your skin once the task is completed, smoothing it down with his fingers. 

"There we go."

"Thanks Leon."

He grins, leaning forwards in his seat to grab and squeeze your hand affectionately. "...You can call me 'Lee'."

A smile worms its way across your face as your gazes meet and you're both smiling at each other; however, the moment is short-lived when Leon catches glimpse of the clock behind you on the wall and his smile drops.

"I should go."

"Okay," you say, with a sulk.

He chuckles and releases your hand, rising to stand and adjusting his cap and you follow him out of the kitchen and into the landing; mum and Hop return, keen to know what's going on and what's up between the two of you and whatnot. He exchanges some brief words with his family before they share a quick embrace; he needs to return to Wyndon. The beauty pageant is beginning in forty minutes and his presence cannot be missed. 

"I'll see you guys soon," he promises as he exits the house and steps into the front yard. Mum and Hop follow him out and so do you, watching as he releases Charizard from his capsule. The flame pokemon lands on the ground and spreads his wings, glancing at Leon expectantly.

"Bye Lee!" Hop shouts, waving fiercely as Leon climbs over Charizard's awaiting back.

"Be safe, dear." 

"I will!" Leon yells with a wide grin; he waves to his mother and brother before his eyes lands on you and his grin widens. Your cheeks heat up and you wave as the flame pokemon manoeuvres himself into position, stamping his large and bulky hind legs over the ground as he prepares for lift off. Leon pats the side of his neck and the pokemon huffs loudly. "Charizard, let's go!"

Emitting a loud roar, Charizard flaps his wings and in one massive swoop, he takes off to the sky, disappearing in a blink.

Leon is gone.

You linger with his family outside before they decide to retreat into their warm and toasty house.

"Why don't stay here for the time being, my dear?" says Leon's mum, nudging her head towards the direction of the living room. 

"Yeah!! Let's watch the beauty pageant together!" Hop exclaims, and you nod.

"Thank you. That would be nice."

"I'll get the popcorn!" Hop yells, and he rushes past you and into the kitchen. 

“And I’ll get the camera,” says mum, before she dashes to one of the cupboards near the mantelpiece, pulling it wide open and lifting out an old-fashioned camcorder which she hastily switches on. "I always record all of Leo's programs or shows."

You join her as she plops herself down on one of the plushy couches and Hop returns into the living room with a large bowl of popcorn. He climbs over the settee with Wooloo and switches the TV on, passing the popcorn to you, and the TV, switched to the Galar main broadcasting channel, is now playing the Miss Galar Beauty Pageant theme song with the logo slapped over the screen. Checking the clock on the wall, you think Sonia might be home by now...no doubt, she'd be watching the pageant too.

"Have you watched the Miss Galar pageants before?" Hop asks, and you shake your head. "It's a blast! Lee's been a judge for five years now!"

"Oh, r-really?" 

He nods. "Yeah, and some girls get really attached to him after that."

"Oh," you say again.

You're not really surprised.

"I swear, every year some floozy decides to latch onto our Leo and obsessively call him 'hers'." huffs Leon's mum, who shakes her head as she stuffs some popcorn into her mouth.

The show begins and it's an impressive display; the stage is alit with loud modern music and bright lights, accompanied with dancers and pokemon in funky costumes who parade around onstage and you watch as two men and a woman in evening outfits along with a Clefable appear at the very end of the extravagant opening, excitedly introducing themselves as the presenters of the program; it's taking place at Wyndon stadium and the pitch has been converted from Pokemon battle arena to a stage ripe for a pageant, with a massive T-shaped catwalk, tonnes of spotlights and various tables and chairs for the judges. It's a full audience, too.

The judges are introduced; looks like Leon made it in time because he's sitting at his designated table and waving to the crowd once the spotlight is on him. The audience cheers wildly for him as he smiles and waves. He is impeccable as always.

With camcorder in hand, Leon's mum flicks her gaze to you and directs the camera to your direction to record your reaction whilst Hop points and hoots excitedly.

"There he is, there he is!!! Lee!!!"

" _Thank you_ ," Leon on TV says, and your heart thuds terribly when you see his grinning face on screen. 

The remaining judges are introduced but you're too busy gawking at Leon to pay attention to the other judges and when the camera returns to the Champion, Hop exclaims and jumps up and down in his seat all over again.

The pageant begins, curtains rising, and the contestants step onto the stage; the judges are strategically seated so they can get a good view. The contenders consist of tall and beautiful young women dressed in swimsuits with ribbons looped around their bodies detailing where they're from. There's Miss Postwick, Miss Wedgehurst, Miss Turrfield and so on. 

Each and every single contestant proudly stride past the judges and Leon, waving cheerfully to the crowd with massive smiles on their faces. These ladies are extremely fit and slender, with lean bodies and not a single blemish on their body. Their high heels are a ridiculous height yet they have no difficulty as they perform the rehearsed routine with the dancers and Pokemon behind them. 

It's a long show.

You plough through two gruelling hours with Hop and Leon's mum, going through three or so bags of popcorn altogether as each and every single contestant go through several montages; they are interviewed and questioned, receive the opportunity to show off their dresses and swimsuits, demonstrate their unique talents, talk about their goals and visions for Galar and soon it's time for the results, beginning with third place.

" _Are you ready folks? It's time to reveal who our third runner up is!_ " exclaims one of the presenters and you are all on the edge of your seats as you await the result. 

A red throne has been carried to the middle of the catwalk where the winner will sit. After the short drumroll, Miss Spikemuth is called out and the audience goes wild. A pale-skinned young woman with long and flowy jet black hair stalks over to the three-tiered podium where a man in a tuxedo with a ribbon and tiara is waiting for her. The camera shifts to Leon and the judges who clap for her.

" _Congratulations, Miss Spikemuth!_ _Now......second runner up....is-!!!_ "

"I hope it's Miss Ballonlea," you utter. "Her talent was very impressive."

"Yes, that flute recital was very enchanting," says Leon's mum.

"I hope she wins too," says Hop.

" _Miss Ballonlea!!!_ "

You, Leon's mum and Hop whoop, then you all exchange a high five.

Miss Ballonlea, a blonde-haired woman, joins Miss Spikemuth on the opposite of the podium whilst crying incessantly.

" _And finally, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for...WHO will be this year's Miss Galar????_ "

The drumroll intensifies.

And the living room is quiet until-

"Miss Postwick! Miss Postwick!" cheers Leon's mum, whilst you're secretly rooting for Miss Wedgehurst to win.

" _Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this year's Miss Galar Beauty Pageant IS.........._ "

The suspense is killing you all.

 _"....MISS HULBURY!!!!_ "

A small fraction of the crowd who hail from the city cheer wildly as an extremely attractive young woman steps forwards, clasping both hands over her mouth in shock. Confetti is tossed over her and a fanfare plays; Leon and the remaining judges move to stand, clapping as she glances around the stage, awestruck and numb. The unsuccessful contestants clap, though some look a little annoyed by the results.

" _Give it up for Miss Hulbury!!! Congratulations, your city must be very proud of you!_ " the TV presenter roars wildly into the microphone and he beckons her to join the other two crowned contestants, though she briefly steps on the podium for a few seconds or so before all the winners leave.

They head for the red throne though Miss Hulbury seats herself down and soon, you see Leon leaving his seat and heading for the stage.

This is the first time you've watched a Miss Galar Beauty Pageant and you're not sure what he's doing, but a whole shebang of awards are presented to Miss Hulbury consisting of a glistening silver tiara, a silver sceptre with the symbol of Galar, a ribbon and a red velvet cape that...looks similar to Leon's????

The tiara is carefully fastened atop her head by the young man in a tux and she is handed the jewel-encrusted silver sceptre. The ribbon is also fixed around her torso and Leon arrives at her side as the cape is looped over her shoulders; she looks at him and smiles.

The newly crowned Miss Galar rises to stand and joins the Champion, who offers his arm to her.

As you watch the scene unfold, you lean forwards in your seat, your eyes glued to the screen. Hop and Leon's mum swerve their gazes to you.

Background music begins to play and Wyndon stadium is alit with cheering and applause.

" _There she is, Miss Galar...there she is, your ideal....the dream of a million girls who are more than pretty can come true in Wyndon City_ ~ " one of the presenters begins to sing, joined with a Clefable, with his arm out as the beautiful young woman strolls down the catwalk with sceptre in hand and her arm looped around Leon's, her cape fluttering with his.

You gape as they stride to one side of the catwalk and back, and it feels like the walk of eternity until they return to the middle and Leon pulls his arm away gently so she can return to the throne; they shake hands and she reclaims her seat on the red velvet chair, smiling and waving for the camera.

She blows a kiss, and the screen fades to black.

* * *

**Meanwhile.**

It’s night-time.

She discovers she’s standing underneath an old and large, derelict tower for some reason, damp and cold.

There’s a single thought running through her mind right now and it is quite simple: _I want to go home_.

Home.

Where is home?

_….Motostoke….Twenty three…Dorset… Road…_

Where is she?

Glancing around, she has no recognition of where she is nor does she recognise her surroundings.

However, the loud crow of a bird pokemon along with a rather frantic and anxious yell of “ _Miss, are you okay?_ ” grabs her attentions and she glances up to the dark sky to see a Corviknight taxi landing before her. The windscreen wipers are switched on, the rubber blades squeaking against the glass as they swipe away the heavy rain in hypnotic fashion.

The cabbie hops off the vehicle, heavy-duty boots crunching over the squelchy mud as he holds onto his woolly trapper hat which is threatening to blow away in the wind.

“Good heavens, Miss, a-are you alright?” he squawks in alarm as he looks at her from head to toe. Even Corviknight seems perturbed by her appearance, his red eyes widening thoroughly.

“....Home,” she merely says as she settles her limp gaze on the little man, “I want to go home.”

“Uh, Miss, I think I outta take you to the nearest hospital…”

“Home,” she says again, blinking through the raindrops that batter her bedraggled form and pelt her eyelashes. “I want to go home.”

“Okay, where do you live? I’ll give you a ride,” the cabbie replies and he dashes to his carriage, climbs the ladder and returns to his perch atop his large steed.

“Motostoke,” she says, “Twenty three…..Dorset Road…”

"Got it, hop in!"

The cabbie watches her slip inside the empty, awaiting carriage and close the door. She sits rigidly in the chair, staring limply ahead of her. 

On the small control panel of the cab, he locks the door, grabs onto the reigns of Corviknight and instructs the large bird to take off to the skies despite the heavy rain. A thunderstorm is in the making and the wind is reported to be over eighty miles per hour but he is undaunted. The cabbie braves the fierce storm and avoids some dangerous-looking clouds; Corviknight, being a seasoned flier with over eighty thousand miles or so of experience, isn’t shaken by the random bouts of lightning and the loud, overhead boom of thunder as they traverse the miserable sky.

He’s not supposed to fly in these conditions, but it doesn’t help that he was trying to get out of the storm and the Wild Area as quickly as possible after depositing a customer near North Lake Miloch and happened to see a blood-stained girl on the ground looking rather lost and dazed near the ruins of the old Watchtower.

However, he can’t shake off the feeling that there is something wrong with her.

She’s drenched in blood, covered in bruises, donned in raggedy clothing…she’s clearly shocked and confused and needs help.

He should report this, and once Motostoke looms into view, he finds the address the girl had stated and presses down on a button that links to the intercom inside the cab.

“Miss? We’re here.”

Awaiting for a response, he is however, greeted with silence and the occasional crackling of static.

He shrugs inwardly and directs Corviknight to land in front of a two-storey detached house with red bricks and a white door and the cab lands safely on the ground, a low but steady grumble emitting from the earth upon arrival. Immobile, he unlocks the cabbie door, climbs off his steed and down the ladder whilst the bird stretches his wings and shakes himself, sending huge droplets of water into the air.

The cabbie goes up to the door of the cab, peers through the window and proceeds to gasp loudly.

The interior of the cab is empty.

He flings the door open and pokes his head inside.

“S-she’s gone?!!” he cries, before he tears off his goggles as though determined to ensure that his old eyes were not playing tricks on him.

Summoned by the commotion outside and a random Corviknight taxi, the front door to the house of twenty three Dorset Road opens and a middle-aged woman and a teenage girl with a Sylveon peek out.

“….Can we help you?” the woman asks.

The cabbie gawks at the woman and lass and points frantically at his own cab. “The girl!!! The passenger!!! She’s gone!!! She asked to be taken to Motostoke, twenty three Dorset Road!!! I swear she was inside and never got out, the doors are automatically locked and only I can unlock or lock and the door alarm never went off, I-“

The pair blink numbly as he babbles and flails uncontrollably over the missing hitchhiker.

“…A girl?” asks the woman, after he gives up on trying to explain and pants and groans heavily.

He nods and takes off his hat, fanning himself. “Yeah!!! She had dark hair and-and she was covered all over in blood, she was all bruised and battered all over!!!! Never mind. Forget it, I-I’m sorry to bother you, ma’am.”

Shaking his head, he wonders who will pay for the cabbie ride. Most likely, it will be deducted from his wages.

However, the woman promptly bursts into tears and rushes back inside the house. The muffled sound of a door slamming can be heard.

The cabbie gawks for a moment or so before the teenage girl with the Sylveon leaves the doorstep of her house and strides up to him.

“That was my sister,” she says, “you’re not the only one to bring her home. Thanks.”

“H-huh?”

The girl digs a hand into her pocket and pulls out her purse, pulling out some frayed notes which she plops into his hand. “This should cover the taxi fare.”

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. The movie reader was watching was Casablanca
> 
> 2\. The song the presenter sings at the end of the pageant is a parody of 'There She is, Miss America' lol


	19. "Just Friends"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find out something about Ezra and meet Jace's friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 09.12.2020

** "Just Friends" **

…

…

[From: Jace

Text message

Wed, 14, 4.57PM.

Hey chuck!!! How r u? Wanna meet up tomorrow? let me know if you're free! there's someone I want you to meet :)]

…

…

You’re slowly getting the hang of waking up in the morning and Jace has asked you to meet him today but prior to that, you have a window of opportunity to visit your mentor for a good hour or so.

The Corviknight taxi deposits you at the gates of Greyon's Cemetery; it is far more comforting to the eyes during the day, with the lack of ghost pokemon lurking within and the steely, heavy mist that swamps the entire the vicinity during late night hours.

Without further ado, you push the gates open and stroll inside, leisurely venturing down the twisted, stony path that leads to the mausoleum, glancing at the faded gravestones sticking out of the cold ground and the decorative sculptures with the overgrown moss and faded writing until you spot your mentor sleeping on the steps, clutching an empty can of beer to his chest whilst Absol curls up by his feet.

“Ezra?” you say aloud, and the old man responds with a snort and rubs at his nose briefly with his fingerless gloves before he sluggishly opens his eyes.

His gaze does not concentrate on anything in particular, even when you hop over and seat yourself on the stone steps by his side.

Emitting a low groan, Ezra sits up, cracks a few bones in his neck and shoulders at the same time and yawns loudly.

“Hnrgh…you’re here,” he grumbles raspily under his breath as he tosses the beer can away.

“Yeah," you reply, and Absol wakes up too, stretching on her front paws. She joins her master to sit upright on the steps and licks at her paw.

“What’re you doing here so early? It’s morning.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Hn. Trying to integrate back into society, are you?” 

“I guess… actually, I’m not gonna work on any cases for the time being so there’s no need for me to keep going out at night. And I’m meeting Jace later.”

“I see. Good for you, kid.”

“Have you been eating well?”

Ezra gestures to his pile of booze that has been messily laid in front of a gravestone near the fountain and nods. Flicking his empty gaze to you, he assesses you quietly, rubbing his chin with one hand.

“Somethin’ about you seems different,” he says with a grunt, his white eyes sweeping over your form.

“What is it??”

He narrows his eyes and Ezra breezily pinpoints the shimmering bright light that surrounds your silhouette, convulsing and coiling and emitting from your very core. You’ve always had it but it seems stronger.

“It’s so bright. I’ve never seen anything like it before. What happened to you when you were at Rose’s art gallery?”

You’ve informed him previously that you were taking Rose’s case and so you tell him everything and gesture to your bandaged arm and he listens, occasionally nodding and taking swigs of a new can of beer and harrumphing at random times until you finish.

And when he hears that you expelled an evil spirit out of your body, he nods to himself. “Well done."

“Thank Ezra, but Leon helped me. If it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t have been able to do it.”

“But you did, and that’s very impressive. I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone who has the ability to do that.”

You look at him in confusion, tilting your head to the side and he chuckles.

“You know what I’m talking about. Hell, maybe you’ll start seeing them in broad daylight like I do. From now on, be on your guard at all times. You need to proceed with caution; you might be able to see an’ hear more of ‘em often than you want.”

“...Is this what Rosie had too?”

He nods.

“And that’s why spirits were always attracted to her, why she was so vulnerable?”

A brief nod is your answer.

If only you had met Ezra earlier. He’s the only one who truly understands you and the pain and agony you’ve suffered. And if you had met him earlier, you could’ve brought Rosie to see him, he would’ve known what to do. He could’ve saved her.

_He could’ve saved them all and-_

Ezra slides a gnarled hand into the holey pockets of his duster and pulls out a folded talisman, nudging it to you. “Keep this on you at all times. It will protect you.”

“Thanks,” you utter as you pocket the talisman safely into your bag, “Do you think I should start looking for Dusknoir now?”

“Heh. You don’t need to ask me. You know what to do, and you know it’s nothing to do with the pokemon,” he says, before he fumbles his pockets for a cigarette and lights it up. Sucking a deep drag, he exhales with a heavy sigh, filling the atmosphere with a crisp and acrid stench, “I won’t sugarcoat it for you… It’ll come for you one day but when that day comes, I know you’ll be ready.”

You say quietly, “Hey...Ezra?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

He emits a soft hum under his breath. “…’welcome.” 

“And uh, Spiritomb escaped too.”

He doesn’t appear surprised and waves his hand dismissively. “Yeah, I know. It’s fine, leave ‘im to me. I’ll take care of the bloody swirly bastard.”

As you nod, Ezra inhales another deep drag briefly before he splutters, hacking and heaving violently before a thin stream of red pools out from the corner of his cracked lips. 

“Ah, fuck.” 

Turning to the side, he spits some of the gunk out and wipes his chin whilst Absol begins purring loudly with concern.

“I’m fine,” he croaks out, coughing.

“No, you’re not. You need to go to hospital.”

When he’s finished coughing, he soaks up the rest of the cigarette and utters, “I’m going soon. Take a look at this.”

You are presented with a folded letter, you unfurl the paper to reveal an insignia of a hospital stamped at the top; you scan the remainder of the letter where there are several prevalent words along with some Braille. 

“Lung carcinoma??” you exclaim, eyes wide. " _Cancer_...?"

"Yeah."

Shaking your head in disbelief, you grow limp in your seat as you clutch the letter meekly in hands. It’s taunting you.

Everything is.

…

Ezra is dying.

He’s old and he’s aware he smokes and drinks like a degenerate.

It’s inevitable.

Laden with heavy thoughts, you arrive at Jace’s apartment in a dour mood; everything seems so insignificant as of now. Life is too short after all. You want to spend some more time with your mentor but he encouraged you to go and see your friend. So here you are.

And you certainly don’t reciprocate Jace’s huge grin when he opens the door after you’ve rung the doorbell.

“Chuck, you’re here!” he exclaims before he ushers you in.

He’s wearing his Ball Guy uniform, missing his mascot mask. The more you look at it, the more you just cannot get used to that red polo and shorts combo which is apparently an abomination to fashionistas.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, when he sees your darkened expression.

“N-nothing,” you say, forcing a smile.

He purses his lips but remains quiet when you reassure him once more that you’re fine. He’s not alone. There are two suitcases standing by his shoe rack and a huge Luxray snoozing on the couch. You recall he has a visitor from Sinnoh and he wants you to meet someone and so you spot this friend standing in the kitchen with his back to you and when he turns round, a pair of cerulean eyes meets yours and you grow still on the spot.

Jace is quick to get you back on the move, steering you towards his direction with hands planted on your shoulders.

“Yo Volkner, I want you to meet my friend!!!!”

When you’re finally in front of the young man, your gazes meet for a second time. The young man has blonde hair fashioned in a spiked style and you’re quite certain you have seen him before perhaps from a magazine or a website. He’s dressed in a black v-neck shirt and dark blue denims, with a light blue coat slung over one shoulder.

“Chuck, right?” he says. He has a smooth voice, deeper than Jace's. More mature.

“Noooo, that’s just my nickname for her. Her name is-”

As Jace speaks, he is drowned by the sounds of a horn blaring noisily from a truck that passes the flat.

Regardless, Volkner nods.

You look at Jace questioningly who merely grins at you and winks. For you to hear, he says, “ _Volkner can be a little aloof but he’s a great guy_.”

Then he pats you on the shoulder and beams widely at the two of you.

“Let me fill you in. Chuck, I’m really sorry, but I need a favour from you. I asked if you were free today because my good buddy Volkner needs a grand tour of Wyndon and of course I was supposed to do it and it would've been nice if we all went together but my stupid boss just called me and demanded me to go to work right now.”

You blink sluggishly. “Oh…I’m so sorry, Jace.”

“It’s alright; Volkner understands and doesn’t mind; it would be great if _you_ could show him around for the time being. He was the guest judge for the Beauty Pageant but he got this fancy ride to the stadium and back so he doesn't remember how to get there; you could quickly show him Wyndon Stadium, and he’s got a meeting at the Rose of the Rondelands too so if you could show him that and also the-“

“Jace,” Volkners says.

“Yeah?”

“….I can take it from here.”

“Okay, okay,” Jace nods and grabs his Ball Guy mask that was sitting on the floor, along with his bag, “Sorry chuck.”

“It’s okay, Jace. I don’t mind showing Volkner around.”

“Thanks chuck! Thank you so much!”

Flicking a quick glimpse to Volkner, you gulp inwardly when your heart appears to quicken as he levels your gaze once more.

Volkner is good-looking. Tall, blonde, handsome and lean, you cannot help but stare as he sets his mug down on the counter and offers you his hand. You slide your hand into his and as he shakes your hand, he says, “I’m Volkner. I’m the gym leader of Sunyshore City. Do you like electric type pokemon?”

Jace groans incoherently and Volkner throws him a sideways glance.

“What?” asks the gym leader.

Exasperated by his actions somehow, Jace can only shrug and shake his head whilst you reply, “I heard you constructed your gym puzzle out of sheer boredom. Is that true?”

“Yes, that's correct.”

“Oh, okay. That’s cool. I’m a ghost-type researcher. Here’s my card,” you delve into your bag and procure a nice and shiny card for him to take.

“Ghost-types, huh?” he murmurs as he twirls your business card front and back with his long fingers.

“Yeah.”

“What pokemon do you have?”

“I have a Gengar, Mimikyu and a Runerigus at hand right now.”

“Your Gengar,” Volkner says, “What moves does he know?”

“Shadow Ball, Confuse Ray….Dark Pulse…and he also knows this psychic move but I actually don’t know what it is. He used it when we were in this cave and we were getting attacked by snow but somehow he stopped all the snow particles in mid-air and reversed it.”

“It was probably ‘ _Psychic_ ’.”

“Yeah, it probably was.”

“Did you know Gengar can learn Thunder Punch, Thunderbolt and Thunder via TM?”

“No, I did not.”

“Do you want him to learn? It could help vary his techniques so he can face off against various opponents.”

“That’s a good point but I don’t know, I’ll have to ask him.”

“Sure, let me know. I have some spares which I can share with you.”

“That would be very nice.”

“They’re powerful moves. One can say they’re _shocking_.”

Despite delivering that line with a straight face, Jace, who has been listening to your conversation silently, cannot help but grimace and tiredly rolls his eyes whilst you blink for a brief moment or so before you chuckle and Volkner cracks a smile at your response.

Jace ceases his wincing and gapes at you two in bewilderment, having witnessed your entire interaction.

“Oh.... my….Arceus,” he breathes, swapping alarmed glances between you and Volkner, “I was right. Holy Mudkip! Well, you two seem to get along great! I-I need to go to work right now!”

“Okay,” you reply, “Leave Volkner with me. He’ll be in good hands.”

“Thanks, chuck! See you around!”

“Bye Jace,” you and Volkner bid your friend farewell and Jace rushes out of his apartment with his Ball Guy mask and bag under one arm, whooping loudly.

“I wonder what that was all about,” you reply, before you glance up at the blonde and he throws his glimpse to you, “Is he okay?”

“He’s fine,” Volkner replies, gently sliding his hands into his pockets, “So Miss Tour Guide, where shall we head to first?”

Volkner’s a pretty busy guy, you recall. He has a lot to do during his time here.

“I’ll take you to Wyndon Stadium first, we’ll walk along the promenade where you can see the river and the ferris wheel. We can visit Rose Tower if you’re interested, then we'll pop by Rose of the Rondelands and we can also grab a bite to eat if you get hungry. I know a good place.”

“Lead the way,” he replies, and he recalls Luxray after a brief introduction to the gleaming eyes pokemon, then lets you leave the apartment first. You both exit Jace’s apartment and onto the main street.

With Volkner lingering by your side, you make your way to the promenade, showing him the street signs should he ever find himself in Wyndon on his lonesome.

“It’s easy to get lost here,” you say, and Leon briefly pops up in your mind.

Ah, Leon.

You hadn’t heard from him since this morning.

You wonder how he’s doing.

You want to see him.

“It’s this way, right?” Volkner says, bringing you out of your thoughts.

“Ah, yes, that’s correct.”

The streets are heavily populated today and many people stare as you stroll along. They can tell he’s not from Galar, possibly due to his hairstyle and fashion. However, he doesn’t respond to their staring and pads along you with his hands in his pockets, drinking in the scenery and the architecture.

“How did you become a ghost-type researcher?” he asks.

“My family specialises in ghost-types and I’ve always felt drawn to them.”

“If you ever visit Sinnoh, I’ll introduce you to Fantina. You would have a lot to talk about,” Volkner replies, and when he sees your clueless expression, he adds, “she’s the gym leader of Hearthome City. She uses ghost-types and she can see spirits, so I guess you can as well?”

Volkner does not beat around the bush.

Surprisingly enough, you don’t find yourself feeling too uncomfortable and so you nod, “…I can, yeah.”

You wonder what response you will elicit; maybe he’d laugh or shrug you off and tell you he doesn’t believe in ghosts.

But instead he says, “What do they look like?” and you gawk at him.

No-one has _ever_ asked you this before.

“It depends. Sometimes they appear exactly the way they were when they died. Others appear polished and clean, looking as they did in a particular point of their life….usually when they were most happiest. They’re usually transparent….then there are evil spirits, who are so warped by evil they lose shape and form and appear as either a black mass or scrawling dark shadows.”

Now that you’re talking about ghosts again, you cannot seem to stop.

“Actually, before I came here to see you and Jace, I visited my mentor and he said I might begin to see them during broad daylight too, which is disturbing because usually entities are more active and make their presences known at night, and that’s why I’m always investigating at late hours and usually I’m not even awake during the day.”

Volkner absorbs it and you’re waiting for him to say something to you somewhere along the lines of you being a kook or whatnot but nothing of that sort happens and again, you’re astounded when you realise he has not come under the impression that you are unhinged.

“I see. That’s interesting. It must be tough for you right now to show me around at this time.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I’m actually on a break right now so I’m trying to come out more during the day.”

“Is that so?”

You nod. “Did Jace tell you?”

“What?”

“We just got discharged from hospital; I took a case and it ended up…well, I wouldn’t say it ended _badly_ but me and Jace did get hurt.”

“Yes, he told me but he said he’s unharmed. Is that the reason why your arm is bandaged?”

“Yeah. I’ve got stitches.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?”

“Uh….”

You’re a little apprehensive but considering he’s been rather open with you, you decide to tell him about Rose’s case and the haunted art gallery.

You breeze along the promenade; there is a separate strip for cyclists who speed past you in their triathlon gear and runners jog together, chatting amiably about gym battles and the Beauty Pageant. Several passerbys walk with their Stoutlands and some ladies with prams huddle together in one corner under a lamppost whilst a poor boy up ahead is being dragged all over the place by his energetic Boltund as it dives headfirst into a group of Pidoves.

As you talk, Volkner is listening though his expression remains impassive and generally hard to read. You cannot help but think he is perhaps bored until he sees an old gentleman sitting on a bench playing an accordion.

A Mr Rime tap-dances with its cane in tune to the music whilst some people strolling by flip pennies into a hat on the ground near its feet.

A short distance away, a group of buskers stand inside a gazebo decorated with white and pink flowers, singing an old song with their instruments. Volkner observes before he heads towards the direction of the crowd.

“Wait up,” you say as you hurry after him. He walks fast.

Once you’re at the gazebo, you both find a good spot to listen; he stands stiffly beside you with his arms crossed though there’s a small smirk gracing his face. You’re not alone; there are many people standing and listening with their children and pokemon. When they finish their piece, the crowd cheer and whilst some stay, the majority disperses.

“You don’t see that often in Sinnoh.” Volkner mutters, before he tosses a coin for the buskers.

And the walk continues.

You inhale some crisp clear air and exhale contently. Wyndon is lively today and the weather is wonderful; the sky is blue and clear and the sunlight is warm but perfect, gently prickling on your skin. A flock of Wingull can be heard cawing as they soar through the air effortlessly on their elongated wings whilst a Pelipper or two eye a local fish and chip stall.

 _If only Leon was here_ , you think.

You pass an ice-cream stall which you ogle for longer than intended; you recall you haven’t had one for some time and suddenly Volkner says, “Would you like one?”

“...Sure.”

He asks you what flavour you want and when you tell him, he goes up and orders one for you but not for him. You offer to pay but he’s already handing over the amount. You thank him as the ice-cream is pressed into your hand, and he tells you to enjoy it but you feel strange.

_If Leon was here, we’d both have one or we’d be sharing…_

Your expression falls upon this thought.

Wyndon Stadium soon looms into view.

He hasn’t seen anything like it before and you allow Volkner a few moments to marvel the exterior during the daytime before heading inside.

You’re surrounded by images of Leon from all four corners whether it be from the electronic billboards, TV screens, posters and portraits, which makes your heart flutter and you spot the same kiosk you had purchased some Leon merchandise before except this time the line is even bigger and there’s a Leon body pillow on display as well as a life-sized Leon cardboard cut-out. Lots of girls are queuing up to take photos.

Jace is there in his Ball Guy persona, and you see his boss standing at the door so unfortunately he cannot talk to either of you but he does wave. You wave back and Volkner strolls up to the front desk where a Macro Cosmos employee greets him.

“Welcome to Wyndon Stadium! How may I help you?”

“I'm Volkner. I’m here to register for the exhibition match.”

“Oh! Mr Volkner, I should’ve known! Yes, of course. Wait right here, let me get the paperwork.”

Goddamnit, you really hate that word now. As you idle beside Volkner, you ask, “Who’s your opponent?”

“The Champion of Galar.”

You almost choke on your spit as you splutter out in disbelief, “Leon!?”

“Yeah,” Volkner replies, as the employee hands him a pen and the aforementioned papers which are collected inside a clear file which he proceeds to look over before he fills in the blanks.

The employee moves away to give him some space as he writes down his pokemon team and other useful information before he’s given a Dynamax band which he eyes a little warily.

“…..I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this but as a representative of Sinnoh, I’ll do my best," he murmurs.

“Of course.”

“Will you cheer for me?”

“HUH? Oh, uh…..um….but I don’t even have a ticket,” you babble out, but then you recall that Leon gave you a Wyndon stadium pass but before you can mention it, Volkner pulls out a flimsy sheet of paper from within the file and hands it to you.

“You do now.”

You gawk at the ticket that he’s presented. It’s a VIP ticket, reserved for the Sinnoh representative’s plus one. “Don’t waste it on me, Jace should get it-“

The employee returns and promptly talks over you. “Mr Volkner! The Champion is actually in the stadium and practising right now; I’m sure he’d love to meet you in person!”

"We've already met last night, but sure," Volkner nods in agreement and the employee lifts up the barricade, allowing entry. He passes and the Macro Cosmos guy looks at you with a brow raised. “She’s with me."

“Yes, of course, Mr Volkner. Do come in, both of you.”

You hope you don’t see Rose inside.

The Macro Cosmos employee guides you towards an elevator which takes you to a staff and contestants-only passageway that leads to a large corridor. Up ahead and you a see locker room. The corridor finishes with a large opening that reveals the spacious and grandiose pitch.

Volkner barely bats an eyelid to the ingenious architecture and once the employee guides you to the pitch, your breath closes up in your throat when you see Leon standing at one side of the gargantuan space, directing Charizard who is whirling around in the air, flapping his wings and zigzagging left to right.

The employee leads you over to the Champion who stops in mid-sentence and Charizard, with no further instructions, abruptly lands a short distance away.

Leon’s gaze lands on you and the surprise is evident on his handsome face; he prevents his jaw dropping in time and hastily glances between you and Volkner before ultimately tensing up on his spot. His fist clinches for a split second before relaxing, and he welcomes you both with a gentle smile.

“Hello Volkner.”

“Hi Leon.”

"It's nice to see you again."

"Likewise."

They shake hands as the employee leaves your group, slipping away quietly and unnoticed.

Meanwhile, Charizard appears elevated with your presence from out of the blue and bounds over, stomping on his bulky legs and huffing happily as he reaches your side and he begins to rub his snout all over the top of your head affectionately, messing up your hair.

“Hey Charizard,” you giggle with a huge smile on your face as you pet his leathery belly whilst Leon stares at you intently.

And then there’s Volkner and the Champion glances at the gym leader before his eyes flit back to you questioningly and it’s then you realise, _oh crud I am with another guy what was I thinking?_ And Leon says, “Are you…?”

“She’s my tour guide,” Volkner replies, “You two know each other?”

It doesn’t sound like a question.

Leon nods. “We’re……...uh...” he struggles, “-friends.”

There is a brief silence.

Charizard does a double-huff, blinking wide-eyed and snorting in surprise at his best friend. Leon seems to have realised his mistake when he witnesses the happy expression on your face gradually dissolve and crumble.

“Ah, um….I mean, er…”

“Friends,” you say quickly, offering a thin and watery smile, “we’re just…friends. Um, I’ll wait for you at the elevator.”

“Sure,” says Volkner, before he adds, “We should go somewhere to eat after this.”

“Okay.”

Following your response, a look of devastation crosses Leon’s face but he is unable to say anything as you hastily make a beeline for the exit, nervously nibbling your bottom lip. Before you leave the pitch and head to the corridor however, a gorgeous young woman in a black dress and heels emerges from the elevator and breezes past you; it’s the beauty pageant winner from last night - Miss Hulbury, now affectionately crowned 'Miss Galar' by the public - and you watch as she rushes up to the pitch, stopping in front of Volkner and Leon.

You continue to observe as she greets them happily and they chat before her gaze lands on Leon and they are both smiling, laughing and chatting amicably together and you can only stare as they stand close and she keeps looking at him and suddenly your gut tightens up; you clench your fist before you turn round with a huff under your breath.

It's not like you to be jealous, but you can't seem to help it.

Beyond your control, you throw one final glance at the pitch where the Champion is; he’s talking to Miss Galar but then his gaze lands on you and you quickly look away and head for the lift.

Waiting for Volkner, you skulk around in the dark and shuffle your feet until he returns, which means Leon and Miss Galar are left alone together.

With no intent to pry into your relationship with Leon (which you are grateful for), you and Volkner make haste for the elevator but before either of you can take one step forwards, the sounds of rushing footsteps pervade the empty corridor and you both turn round to see Leon.

“Wait,” he calls your name as he stops shortly in front of you. He appears a little nervous as he adds, "can I talk to you, alone?"

Stunned, you nod mutely and he reaches for your hand, grasping it firmly with his and he leads you round an empty corner and away from Volkner.

You glance around awkwardly when he lets go of you, and he releases you rather hurriedly as though your hand was as hot as lava or whatnot, and you look up at him in confusion, your gazes meeting. He takes a step towards you and your back hits the wall as you automatically take a baby step back.

Leon's gaze is pinned on you, before he plants one hand by the side of your head and you quirk a brow at his action.

He's not caging you or anything, but he's still cut off one means of exit though you're not inclined to retreat in any way. His face is growing red as he scans you from head and toe, seemingly taken off guard by your appearance; you've put a strong effort into your looks and outfit today and it's rather obvious he's not used to seeing you during daylight hours and in nicer garb, and he clears his throat into his fist and nervously slides his gaze to the side.

"How's your head?" he asks firstly, and you unconsciously lift a hand and trace a finger over the healing wound on the side of your head.

"I'm alright."

"That's good," he says before he jumps right into it: "Are you really Volkner's tour guide?" he adds, a little sheepishly.

You nod. "He's Jace's friend. Jace asked me to meet him today, we were supposed to show Volkner around together but Jace got called into work at last minute so I'm helping out."

"Oh." 

He sounds relieved and emits a sigh.

"For a moment, I really thought-" he pauses himself in time. "...Never mind. Forget it."

You resist the urge to grin because the thought of a potentially jealous Leon is rather entertaining and endearing.

"I'm sorry," he adds, flicking his honeyed eyes to you before he attempts to reach for your hand but somehow stops himself in time, choosing to curl his fist into a ball instead. "Please forgive me for what I said back there."

"Leon, it's fine," you reply, "I'm not angry. It'll take more than that to offend me."

But you think Charizard is, and you believe he could be thinking the same thing because he smiles awkwardly at you and rubs the back of his neck.

He's finally relaxing and proceeds to lower his glance to his feet but in fact, he's inching his hand closer to you as though he's hoping to hold it; you watch as he appears to mentally debate with himself before he eventually reaches for you and picks up your hand. You resist the urge to laugh out loud as Leon holds your hand gingerly before he shifts his gaze to you once more for your reaction although his gaze has become pinned onto your lips.

A reassuring smile is his answer which prompts him to grin and lean off the wall to slap his other hand over your entwined hands, casually bringing your hand against his chest. Your smile grows, cheeks growing pink and Leon's face grows ten shades redder, his pulse soaring.

He starts to lean in, your noses nudging together which makes you smile as you contemplate that Leon is attempting to kiss you yet the warmth of his lips continue to elude you as he tries to angle his face to the side in an effort to meet your lips better. The sounds of his thudding heart can be heard but what you really want right now is to feel the strong press of his mouth against yours yet he grows still. 

And he doesn't move.

You say, a little expectantly, "Leon?"

"Y-yes?" 

"What's the matter?"

"...Um..."

"Don't you want to k-" 

Unfortunately you don't get the chance to finish because a tannoy goes off, announcing that Rose is looking for Leon and needs him to return to the pitch.

And so you sigh. He does not fail to notice your look of disappointment and he too, mirrors your expression.

"I should go," you say. Besides, this is probably not the best place to be smooching. Maybe he's thought of the same thing too and that's why he stopped.

"...Alright," he sounds reluctant and disappointed.

To your utmost astonishment, Leon does not release you just yet and instead, gives your fingers a light squeeze and leans over, his warm lips gently brush the shell of your ear as he murmurs, “ _Meet me at Wyndon Central Gardens, near the riverbank. I finish at seven.”_

Then he lets go of you and sprints away.

It happened very quickly and quietly.

Your heart beats frantically but you manage to waddle back to the foyer where Volkner is. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

“No problem. Shall we go?” Volkner asks and you nod limply.

“Y-yeah, let’s go,” is your shaky response.

The employee is waiting for you; he takes you to the main lobby and to the counter where you are let through and you’re back in the eye of the public.

However, a pair of kids rushing with lemonades and soda pops in hands bumps into you from seemingly nowhere and their cold beverages spills all over your front from the impact.

“Sorry!” the kids exclaim as you stand limply, the front of your outfit completely soaked.

“Are you alright?” Volkner asks.

“Oh, uh, yeah, I-I’m fine, it’s-“

The temperature drops. Your heartbeat spikes, your pulse begins to race. A bead of cold sweat drips down your forehead and you look up, startled.

“ _What’s wrong?_ ”

His voice grows distant as he speaks, fading into a quiet echo in the background as you blink numbly.

The lobby is packed with people, yet you can sense a bizarre presence nearby….a presence that does not belong there.

Eyes narrowing, you filter through the traffic, sifting through the crowds and crowds of bustling, bumbling people until a young girl with pink hair perusing a random kiosk with a Sylveon grabs your attention.

Behind her, a dark figure skulks.

This unsightly individual hovers uncomfortably close to the oblivious girl with her head lazily bent to the right although the more you look, the more you realise her neck is in fact, broken. The spirit is donned in torn clothing and drenched in blood, with deep and long gashes that strains the fabric. The face cannot be seen, covered by long and matted hair that reaches her elbows, with a floral hairclip clinging lifelessly to a thin group of strands.

It’s her.

She doesn’t _belong_ here.

Ezra was right.

You can now see them in broad daylight.

Aware you are looking at her, the ghostly figure twitches and slowly lifts her head up and it’s then you see the extent of her injuries. You have never seen such an atrocity before; she has been bludgeoned beyond recognition. Her eyes are watery and her pained gaze meets yours and her bluish lips curl into a smile for a moment, before she vanishes.

…


	20. Leon in Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet up with Leon as he had requested.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 22.12.2020
> 
> WHOA wut wut I feel sooo out of touch with this fic recently yet this hit me like a train and I managed to type this up pretty quickly even though I'm meant to be on a break!!! Goddamnit I couldn't help myself, it just wouldn't leave my brain O_o
> 
> But its here, its finally here. I think I've tortured you guys enough with the slowburn and I'm so so sorry. I mean....20 chapters is pretty brutal, no?
> 
> I really hope you enjoy!
> 
> WARNING: fluff *3*
> 
> ...

** Leon in Love**

…

…

["In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

\- Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen]

…

…

You stare into your cup as you sit opposite Volkner in the cafe, a little shaken by what you had just seen.

It was a ghost.

In _broad daylight._

And she was looking very much the way she did when she died.

Volkner waits for you to regain your composure, taking a sip from his black coffee before neatly settling it into his plate. When you sigh and reach for your own cup which you had left for a while now, you bring it to your lips and tilt it into your mouth for a cautious slip. 

You taste the beverage as it swirls in your mouth and swallow.

Too late.

It’s cold.

You have no appetite for it any longer and it sticks to your tongue like tar, so you put it back down and exhale audibly.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

“Yes, I’m fine now. Sorry. Let’s order something.”

And you both lift up the laminated menus that have been presented to you both courtesy of the waitress but then he murmurs, “What did you see?”

Volkner’s perception is spot on and you bite down on your lip, unsure what to say. Flicking your glance up at him, he’s watching you with his steely blue eyes before you reply, “I saw a spirit.”

You’re surprised yourself that you have just blurted this out yet Volkner raises a slender, blonde brow.

“It’s okay if you don’t believe me and – never mind, I’m sorry for…ruining…this, everything. I don’t know. Usually when I talk about this kind of stuff, I end up making people uncomfortable or upset so….” Deciding to give up on whatever point you were attempting to put across, you sigh and say, “Let’s go to Rose Tower afterwards.”

“There’s no need to apologise,” he replies, “I understand. We can call it a day and go tomorrow. My match with Leon isn’t until a few days so we’re not rushed or anything.”

“…Thanks Volkner.”

You’re grateful he isn’t treating you like a kook. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. He doesn’t require much explanation nor does he know you long or well enough yet he’s been extremely understanding and patient.

Smiling to yourself, you lift up your cup and attempt one more sip of your cold coffee as a waitress arrives to take your order.

And after you have lunch with Volkner, you show him the Rose of Rondelands, Rose Tower and various other Wyndon attractions before calling it a day. He’s still to go to the power plant but that’s in Hammerlocke so you will show him another time and maybe Jace will join you.

You’ve managed to do a lot and it’s five pm, so you drop Volkner off at Jace’s apartment.

“Do you want to come in?” he asks, but you shake your head.

“I can't, I'm meeting someone later.”

He nods. “Understood. Thank you for today. I had a good time.”

“Great, I’m glad I was able to help out.”

“Would you like to have dinner with me someday?”

You tense up on the spot, gawking at the gym leader but his expression remains unchanged. He’s serious. “Oh, I….uh…..”

“You don't have to answer me right now. Just let me know when you're ready.”

“Sure. Thanks.”

“And let me know if your Gengar wants to learn an electric type move.”

“Okay…”

Suddenly, the atmosphere between you and Sunyshore’s gym leader has changed from casual to awkward and as Volkner disappears into Jace’s flat, you exit the building hurriedly, feeling rather disoriented.

_Volkner asked me out..._

Checking your wristwatch, you're due to meet Leon soon and it's best to get ready and change out of your sticky clothes and so you call for a Corviknight taxi to take you to Wedgehurst where you ask the cabbie to wait in the lawn once you arrive. You head inside the house, spotting Sonia, Magnolia, Runerigus and Sunkern at the dining table.

Runerigus has decided to be a stay at home pokemon and help Magnolia with tasks such as opening jars, watering the plants or reaching high shelves whereas Sunkern pretty much lives in the conservatory. 

“Hi!” you say quickly, before dashing upstairs to change out of your clothes and into something warmer and more casual. You also grab your bag and begin packing some essentials, before you spot your radio. You hesitate, but then you pick it up and place it inside your bag. Unfortunately, you don’t have time to idle around any longer so you hurriedly rush past them again and pull open the front door, dashing outside. “Bye!”

“Will you be joining us for dinner tonight, dear?” Magnolia says as the door slams.

There’s a brief silence until the door reopens and you poke your head back in.

“Nope!”

Then you shut the door behind you once more.

Sonia sighs whilst Magnolia smiles cheerfully.

You return to the awaiting Corviknight taxi and climb into the carriage, asking the cabbie to take you to Wyndon once again.

When it’s almost seven in the evening, you head to the riverbanks as requested by Leon and find an empty bench to sit down, inhaling a deep breath and glancing around the area. A few joggers pass by along with some parents and their children.

You see two girls, one younger and one older, and you watch as the older sister buys an ice cream for the younger sister before they both stroll towards the fountain where their parents are, giggling and laughing at each other.

It saddens you, so you quickly look away and decide to go through your bag again; you’ve brought some snacks with you, a flask of hot soup and a change of clothes along with your sleeping bag. Leon had sent another message to you earlier asking you to bring some essentials for the rest of the night so it can really only mean thing – he wants to go camping with you – and after you check up on your belongings, you look up again to see a familiar figure heading towards your direction.

It’s Leon, and he’s dressed in his white hoodie and slacks – it’s essentially the same clothing he wore when you had met him in the Wild Area – and he’s rushing towards you with a huge grin on his face and a duffel bag slung over his shoulder with the hood pulled over his head as much as possible so he won’t be recognized.

You get up and off the bench to stand as he stops in front of you, panting somewhat.

“Hi,” he greets you with a wide grin.

“Hi Leon," you can barely contain your excitement.

“Are you ready?”

“Yep.”

His expression brightens up immediately. “Alright, let’s head to the Wild Area right now.”

Leon appears impatient for some reason.

“There’s a Corviknight taxi rank not too far from here,” you suggest, but Leon merely flashes another grin at you and nudges his head.

“It’s okay, we can fly on Charizard. He doesn’t mind.”

Remembering the last time you flew on the pokemon and how much turbulence you had experienced, you’re a tad reluctant but Leon reassures you that the flame pokemon will ensure the ride will be a lot smoother so you both head to a quiet spot where he releases him and Charizard huffs happily at the two of you.

“Are you warm enough?” Leon asks before you climb on, glancing at you from head to toe.

“Yep, I'm fine.”

Regardless, Leon whips the strap of his bag off his shoulder and pries it open before he pulls out a thick and woolly red scarf which he proceeds to loop around your neck two or three times before folding it neatly into a bow. You blush the entire time considering how close you are to him but he merely smiles and reaches for you, brushing some hair from the side of your face and pinning it behind your ear.

“Thanks Leon,” you murmur, and he grins.

It’s time to board the Charizard express and Leon allows you to hop on the flame pokemon first before he climbs on after you and on this occasion, chooses to slip one arm around your waist snugly. Your face grows red from the contact but Leon smiles at you as he settles himself comfortably behind you and pats the pokemon on one side of his belly.

“To the Wild Area, Charizard!” he exclaims, pointing to the sky and Charizard acknowledges with a growl and kicks off the ground, lifting himself into the air before he zooms high for the clouds.

You cling onto Charizard as he carries you from Wyndon and towards the direction of the Wild Area; the infamous infrastructure of Wyndon gradually disappears as you leave behind civilization and the sparse, wintery path of Route 10 enters your view and you see several Galarian Mr Mimes in the grassy land below, looking up at your group as you soar past. The air grows severely chilly but with Leon’s scarf and his chest pressed tightly against you, you’re warm and Charizard passes the icy roads and towards the direction of Hammerlocke.

The flight is indeed smoother as promised and Leon glances at you from the corner of his eye and says, “How are you holding up?”

“I’m good,” you reply, and he grins, tightening his hold on you.

Once the dark castle walls of Hammerlocke appear in the horizon, Charizard flaps his wings and zooms higher into the air to pass the encroaching palisades until the huge and wide green expanse of the Wild Area finally appears. It's refreshing to see it.

You have arrived.

Leon instructs Charizard to land somewhere near a lake if possible and the pokemon goes on the lookout until he spots a large pool and dives for it. He lands on the ground as carefully as he can although it’s a slight bumpy ride and Leon hops off.

“Here we are. Good job, buddy,” Leon says and Charizard huffs before he turns to you and helps you off, wrapping his arms around your waist and lifting you up.

“Thanks Leon, thanks Charizard,” you utter as Leon helps you onto your feet.

“What do you think?” Leon asks, and you nod.

“This is a good camping spot.”

Checking Rotom’s GPS, you’re squashed somewhere between the Dusty Bowl and Hammerlocke Hills. Glancing around, you see an abundance of woodland surrounding the lake. Otherwise, it looks like you’ll be undisturbed by people and wild pokemon.

Leon settles his bag on the ground and begins pulling out random camping gear; he’s packed a tent, his sleeping bag, a mini cooking hob and he’s also brought some food with him that has been carefully sealed in tight tupperware tubs.

“You sure came prepared,” you murmur as you hover over his shoulder with your hands behind your back and he beams at you in response.

“Yep, and I brought dinner for everyone.”

Whilst you giggle, Leon’s smile grows sheepish and he gazes intently at you. Charizard snorts at him, snapping him out of his staring stupor and he quickly glances away. “R-right, let’s get all the camping gear set up.”

You roll your sleeves up, ready to assist in any way.

As usual, Leon is unfortunately appalling at following the guidelines to set up the tent so you and Charizard step in and go through the instruction manual together. It’s a different tent, sturdier and bigger and designed to withstand bad weather...which means its even more complicated and it takes a while to set it up, but when you and the pokemon have finished, the tent stands proudly by the lakeside. 

You let Mimikyu out and ask if she can help collect some firewood; Gengar decides to keep an eye on her so your ghosties waddles away to the forest and you see her mercilessly clawing away at some tree trunks whilst screeching loudly and before long, they return with a large stack of chopped wood. It’s good to see them getting along, you suppose.

Meanwhile, Leon sets up the cooking hob and some foldable chairs, propping them up near the shore of the lake although he places them very closely together. He fishes out a large pot and various packs of curry before Mimikyu wanders over, checking out the goods.

Once the set up is finished, everyone regroups near the cooking hob and foldable chairs; it’s getting dark and Charizard spits a ball of fire to warm up the pot which is full of curry and berries.

Leon steers you to sit down on a chair and does the cooking himself, which is nice as you watch him and he will occasionally throw glances at you from over the shoulder.

When the food is cooked, he joins your side and you both finally relax together with your plates in hands whilst the pokemon sit in their own little groups. Gengar and Charizard chow down as usual but you see Mimikyu playing around with her food.

Shaking your head, you’re brought out of your reverie when you feel a grip over your hand before your fingers are squeezed tightly and you glance over to see Leon. He smiles at you affectionately and though your cheeks burn up in response, you muster a smile in response as you squeeze his hand in return. He asks you how your pokemon are doing and how your injuries are and you tell him you're swiftly recovering so not to worry and that the pokemon are fine.

"So...did you finish showing Volkner around?" he asks. He mumbles Volkner's name and without looking at you.

"Yep."

"Do you need to show him anything else?"

"He's still to visit the energy plant but I reckon Jace will come with us."

Leon nods. "I see," he murmurs and sighs gently under his breath with relief.

And you're doing your best not to laugh at how obvious it is that Leon is jealous of the gym leader. He unconsciously gives your palm a squeeze and you both stare up at the night sky; there’s a long strip of light that is streaked through the dark, glowing a variety of interesting shades of blue, green, red and yellow.

“Ah, the aurora borealis,” you muse aloud, “it’s the result of collisions between gaseous particles in the Earth's atmosphere with charged particles released from the sun's atmosphere.”

Leon looks intrigued as you continue to explain the nature of the lights and he soaks it all up.

“That’s amazing,” he replies, “how’d you know all this?”

“I do a lot of reading in my spare time.”

He smiles at you fondly and squeezes your hand once more; you throw your glance down before turning over your entwined hands and you add, “I can read palms too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I studied some palmistry at some point but my knowledge is rather basic. Give me your right hand and I’ll take a look.”

“Sure,” he clumsily holds out his hand for you and you put down your bowl to fully turn in your seat, facing him.

Leon watches you as you carefully unravel his hand properly and neatly splay his fingers out before you tilt your head to the side for a better look at his large palm. You run your fingertip daintily over a line in the base of his warm palm and he grows tense, swerving his eyes to you.

“This is your lifeline,” you murmur, tracing your finger over the curved line, “It’s also called the ‘earth line’, it's the line that extends around the thumb and it reflects one's health and physical vitality.”

It’s pretty long, so you know Leon will be healthy and well.

“This is the heart line, or love line,” you say next, “it signifies the significance of interpersonal relationships in an individual's life, while the length corresponds with time spent together.”

It’s a long crease, which means Leon isn’t the kind to cheat on his partner and will have longer-lasting relationships. 

As you go through the remaining lines, it occurs to you that he’s observing you silently as you make your assessment and tell him the facts and when you look up, your eyes meet, your faces close.

Instead of looking away however, Leon clamps his hand around yours, holding you tightly. Your cheeks grow rosy but you appreciate his gesture and squeeze his hand thoroughly in return.

“I need to tell you something,” he murmurs, "it's very important."

“What is it?”

You blink as he abandons his seat and moves to kneel in front of you. He inhales a deep breath in preparation, closes his eyes briefly and re-opens them before he clamps his other hand around yours tightly and holds it to his chest. He murmurs your name, his golden eyes never leaving yours, and at this moment you are very unsure as to what is precisely happening between you and the Champion right now.

And then he says, “You’re beautiful."

Stunned, you gape at him, watching his cheeks go red as he continues.

“And perfect. I haven’t felt this way towards someone…anyone," he mutters, “and to show how much you mean to me, I have something for you.”

He fishes in his pocket and reveals a pokeball which he holds out for your taking. You swallow the growing lump in your throat before you wordlessly accept the capsule and he encourages you to press down on the button which you do, a red light emitting.

A small pokemon with red fur emerges after the light dies down and you see it only has one tail and one eye.

You gawk at the pokemon who promptly exchanges glances between you and the Champion before she wags her lone tail in the air. Shocked, you turn to Leon who says, with more confidence and a spray of pink dusting his cheeks, "I hope you like her."

“Vul,” she says, and you hold out your arms and although she anxiously plods over, you let her sniff your hand before she gives your fingers a tentative lick.

"Thank you, Leon," you murmur as you proceed to stroke her short, coarse fur and the curls on top of her head. Leon has completely taken you by surprise. He’s gone all out too. You cannot register this, it’s too much.

Leon observes your reaction but when you say nothing, he clears his throat. “I've also been invited to a party and I'm to bring a plus one. Would you like to go with me?” he asks quietly. He sounds nervous again.

You turn to him with a smile. “Of course.”

Confidence fully restored, Leon grins and squeezes your hand tightly with his before he leans forward unconsciously, and abruptly pauses.

Everything goes to a standstill as you wait for him to make the next move.

But nothing happens.

“Leon?”

“Yes?”

“Have you kissed anyone before?”

“...No.”

"But you want to kiss me, right?"

His face reddens furiously at your bluntness before he croaks out, "Yes, I-I-I do."

You nod to yourself because you thought this was the case, and you rise from your seat.

“Sorry Vulpix, give me a minute,” you utter; you encourage her to join the rest of the pokemon for the time being whilst you turn to the nervous-looking champion. “Leon."

"Yes?"

"Come here.”

His eyes bulge, but he obliges.

You’re going to make this extra special for him so once he’s close enough; you manoeuvre him so he's sitting down in your chair and looking up at you anxiously; Leon gawps as you climb into his lap and straddle him. He automatically backs away but you stop him – holding onto his arm and shaking your head – not so much in a warning manner but to simply tell him _no, don’t do that_ , and simply put, _yes, we are going to do this._

You’re inches away from him, your faces closer than ever before, and Leon anxiously levels his gaze with you but you’re very calm and you dust at his shoulders neatly and he watches your hands gently pat and brush some of his long hair back over his shoulders.

Inevitably, his face becomes ten shades of red; you hear him swallowing loudly as he observes you with widened eyes. Next, you reach for his hands, scoop them up and into your own (they’re very sweaty and clammy right now) and you guide him to settle them over your waist.

“Hold me like this, okay? We'll take it nice and slow,” you murmur, and he nods weakly, heart thundering against his chest as you inch even closer to him, pressing your chest against his and it occurs to you he is looking at your chest, but when he looks up, you gently place your hand on the side of his face and sweep your thumb over the curve of his cheek and down to his jaw where your fingertips brush over the scruff of his beard.

He swallows thickly once more as you skim your hand past his jaw and over his shoulders, curling your fingers into his hair, weaving them through his long strands before you place your hands over the back of his neck. He goes still, looking rather tense in your hold.

“Leon, don’t be nervous.”

“Arceus, how can I not be nervous when you’re finally in my arms?”

You let out a giggle in response. “You’re so cute, Leon.”

With your hand around the back of his neck, you bring him closer to you. He looks scared.

“Close your eyes.”

He nods and does as he’s told.

“Are you ready?” You murmur and he nods again, a little timidly.

His own lips part in anticipation when he senses that you are beginning to lean forwards; Leon’s heart pounds angrily as you near and near until your noses nudge together and Leon sucks in a silent gasp when your lips finally brush together before you press your mouth firmly over his and Leon proceeds to let out a satisfied, low groan from the back of his throat.

Stunned that you’d gotten this kind of response, it is nevertheless assuring and you wrap your arms around him tightly, turning your head to the side, kissing him deeply.

Leon emits a muffled moan in return; his fingers digging into your waist and squeezing on your flesh before he encircles his arms around your back and shoulders, bringing you closer to him and pressing your chests roughly together.

You smile against his lips as he begins to take the lead whilst holding you close and pressing his mouth ardently against yours. He kisses you in a sloppy but affectionate manner which shows how inexperienced he is but you’re glad he’s enjoying this judging by how tightly he holds you and how eager he is to keep your lips pressing together.

Although when you pull away from him for air, he follows, nibbling on your lower lip but you smile as you plant your lips against his once more in a quick but deep kiss.

Leon is breathless too, panting. His cheeks are flushed.

“How was that?” you ask.

“That was perfect,” he murmurs.

…

When it's getting late, you and Leon retire into the tent and zip it up; you set up your sleeping bags side by side and Leon fixes the lamp in the corner and the cramped space of the tent is lit up by a tawny glow. Outside and the lake is tranquil and silent except from the occasional snorting and growling from a sleeping Charizard who lies outside on his belly with his neck curled around Gengar. The smaller pokemon, Vulpix and Mimikyu, have decided to stay in the tent with you. Whilst Vulpix curls up in a corner, Mimikyu wants to stay close to you so she chooses to sleep near your pillow. It's time to sleep and you and Leon lay on your sleeping bags facing each other.

You get the feeling he's enjoyed tonight immensely considering he hasn't stopped blushing since you kissed and although he still appears nervous around you, he hasn't stopped smiling either.

"So...what are you doing tomorrow?" you ask quietly.

He's staring at you intently. "A photoshoot for a magazine with Miss Galar."

"Oh," you reply with a pout and Leon chuckles at your response. "...Let's get some rest then. It's been a long day."

He nods. "Can I hold you?"

"Yes, of course."

"Come closer."

Inching over, the gap between you and the Champion grows smaller and smaller until you're against his chest, looking up at him. His chest is...broad and sturdy...so strong...

Leon raises his hand to delicately brush some hair from your eyes and smooth your hair down, before he wraps his arm firmly around your shoulder and plants it around the small of your back before he gently rests his chin atop your head. 

You close your eyes.

_This is nice..._

You've had tonnes of hugs from Sonia, Magnolia, the pokemon... but this is wholly different. The additional warmth from his body pressed up against yours is welcoming. It's not overbearing at all, it's perfect. You didn't think it was possible. For a long time, you were so wrapped up with your family, with ghost pokemon. You wouldn't have imagined that you'd be with Leon like this. And he radiates a musky smell which you find pleasant, a scent you'll never tire of. You want to do this more often, it's comforting.

You can hear and feel his heart slamming hard against his ribs, thundering against your own. His cheeks are stained pink again and you smile before you poke your head out of his grip to reach up and kiss him gently on the chin and nose. 

Leon flushes brilliantly and averts his glance away, clearly taken aback by your forwardness. "Y-You...you're so..."

"What?" 

He lets go of you briefly to rub the top of his head, messing his hair up. "N-nothing." he utters, returning to settle his sturdy arm around your shoulder. In response, you snake an arm around his waist to pull him close to you and he tenses again as your fingers run down the length of his spine; he swallows down the thick lump in his throat and grunts in disbelief under his breath. 

Leon closes his eyes, his lips taut, "If you keep doing stuff like that, I...mphggh."

His grip on you tightens as he groans miserably and you're aware what he's trying to say; it's easy to tease him.

Closing your eyes for a second time, you let yourself be at ease despite his heart frantically thumping against his chest and soon, he calms down too, his heartbeat slowing down. Finally, Leon is allowed to exhale and he grows still, calm. Your breathing falls into place, chests rising together and before you know it, you're in a bright place.

A warm place.

A familiar place.

Before you, you see Rosie, dad and mom standing in a row.

"Rosie? Mom?? Dad!? Am I dreaming?" you wonder aloud. 

" _You didn't tell Lee-Lee about us_ ," says Rosie, and it's been a while since you heard her voice so loud and clear.

Lee-Lee? She must be talking about Leon.

"I will when the time is right. I can't get him involved. He could get hurt."

" _Don't tell him, love_ ," says mom.

"Why not?"

" _Because it's sad_ ," Rosie says. " _Don't make Lee-Lee sad_."

Dad chuckles and steps in, picking up your little sister into his arms and into the air. " _What she means to say is...it's time you moved on_."

" _You have to let go of us, dear. We're holding you back. It'll be hard but it's for your own good_ ," says mom, " _we love you, but it hurts us to see you like this. You've suffered enough. We want you to be happy_. _And now that you've met someone, we want you to focus on something else._ "

"And what? Forget you? Forget all of this? No, I can't," you splutter, shocked by their words, "I won't. How can you say that? I'm the only one... I'm the only one who can save you all. I have to save you. I have-"

Rosie abruptly screams, " _Wake up!_ " 

Your eyes jerk open.

It's dark.

You're in the tent and you find yourself lying on your other side with Leon fast asleep behind you, your back pressed against his chest. You're clutching his arm, holding him tightly against your bosom. He doesn't stir. 

Was it a dream? It felt too real to be a dream...

"-- _wake up!_ "

It's faint but the muted voice is coming from your bag and you slowly sit up, carefully moving Leon's arm to rest over an empty space of the sleeping bag. You climb out of your spot, throwing Leon a quick glance over your shoulder.

He's still asleep.

Crawling over to your bag, you ease your hand in and pull out your radio which has been switched on by unknown reason. It's buzzing gently but you can make out the voice through the crackling static. 

"....-- _something here...!_ "

A light growl catches your attention and you glance over to see that Vulpix has awoken and she is on high alert, crouched down low on her paws with her gaze focused onto the zipped wall of the tent.

Outside the tent, a shadowy figure stands, motionless.

Blood turning cold, you discover that you are unable to move.

Vulpix growls louder.

Leon doesn't stir.

The dark silhouette remains still as you stare and hold your breath as your radio continues to fizz weakly in the background until the figure shifts... and slowly, a dark appendage extends out and towards the zip of the tent...an arm with very thin and long, twisted fingers.

Frozen, you can only gawp as the zip is slowly tugged and wrestled impatiently for a few seconds or so, the fabric of the tent following the movements.

You finally force yourself to move, grabbing a talisman from your bag whilst Vulpix emits the loudest growl she can muster and Leon's eyes snap open. Sitting upright, he sees you staring at the wall of the tent, rubbing his eyes.

"What's wrong?" he says tiredly.

The shadow is gone.

He glances at your fist; you're clenching the talisman so tightly, your knuckles are turning white. "What is it? What happened?"

Swallowing down, you wipe your brow free from cold sweat and exhale shakily.

"Leon, stay here," you murmur wobbly before you ransack your bag for your trusty torch next. Once you've found it, you grab the zip of the tent and slowly drag it down, peeling the flaps away and flashing the torch outside and into the wilderness.

The light catches onto the trees and the horizon of the lake; Charizard sleeps soundly outside but Gengar is nowhere to be seen. You're inclined to climb out of the tent to inspect the camping site thoroughly when Gengar manifests from your shadow. You wonder if he's seen anything and as though reading your mind, he hovers over to you and whispers in your ear.

This would be the first time Gengar has spoken to you, and your eyes widen.

When he retreats, he points to something on the ground.

A floral hair clip covered in blood lies over the dirt where the shadow had stood.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *scratches head* yet the chapter still finished in an ominous way, it seems I cannot help myself. I hope you enjoyed it anyway :)


	21. A Tale of Two Sisters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You part ways with Leon and begin to work on a new case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 13.01.2021

** A Tale of Two Sisters **

…

…

[Tape 4A. Audio Recording. Subject: Ezra and I discuss evil spirits:

 **00:02.11: Me:** "Isn’t there anything we can do to help them?"

 **00:13.33: Ezra:** "No. Evil spirits are condemned to roam without a physical form and will be compelled to wreak havoc on the living. They are beings that died with unfulfilled desires or anger and are said to 'linger' until such issues are resolved."

 **00:15.73: Me:** "Has anyone attempted to research them?"

 **00:23.01: Ezra:** "It was once believed that there was a way to control or communicate with them but any research or attempt on this matter is condemned by the Church."

 **00:24.70: Me:** “But we're not aligned with the Church.”

 **00:26.42: Ezra:** "Don't even think about it, kid."

The recording stops here.]

…

…

“How peculiar,” you utter, “I can understand what you’re saying.”

Gengar blinks blankly at you before he tells you he’s been speaking to you the entire time since you met at his master’s manor.

This must be what Ezra had noticed about you earlier. You’ve grown stronger. Your senses have heightened to another level. You’re becoming similar to Rosie except it’s taken you longer. You recall how she understood what Dusknoir was saying when you found her playing in the basement and she could communicate with it.

You’ve always understood what Gengar was trying to communicate from his actions but this…? You can understand ghost pokemon now (or maybe just Gengar). Perhaps you would grow even stronger in the future.

Mimikyu is lying next to you so you gently pick her up. "Psst....Mimi, are you asleep? Say something."

Stirring, the little glowing dots blink behind the fabric of her ragdoll disguise. "What is it, mi? _Let mi sleep_."

She swats you away with a claw and you put her back down; the pokemon rolls away from you, curling up. "Huh, there's no difference. What about you, Vulpix?"

The little red fox looks at you as you lift her up in your arms, her paws dangling in the air. She cocks her head to the side. "Vul."

"Hm. No difference here either," you murmur as you gently let her back down.

Leon returns to the tent after he’s done a quick sweep of the area; there’s no ghosts around regardless and there is certainly no-one else in the vicinity.

You’ve told him there’s nothing to be concerned about but he was still adamant in checking the rest of the camp just in case. You appreciate that he’s trying to keep you safe.

He zips the flap up and watches as you ask Rotom to take a photo of the bloodied hairclip on the ground and once he’s finished, you carefully slip the floral hairclip into a sealable plastic bag; it’s piano black, sleek and shiny, with the occasional flecks of dried blood and a strand of long hair.

“So… a spirit left that for you?” he asks, as you inspect the bag keenly, holding it up under the dim light of the lamp.

You nod. “It’s evidence. Looks like I have a new case.”

You tell him you saw a ghost in broad daylight this afternoon and it saw you. Now it looks like the ghost has followed you all the way out here. Also, Vulpix sensed her first. You pet her fondly as she dozes beside who Mimikyu is fast asleep, snoozing away.

“Remember the ghost of South Miloch? Well, this is more or less the same way she contacted me, so I know this one needs help,” you add, “she knows I got the message. She won’t bother us for the rest of the night.”

He looks uneasy. “What are you going to do with it?”

“I'll post it up on my blog," you reply, and you quickly access your website and upload the photo onto a new post, typing out a message. "'If this belongs to you, please contact me'. There we go, all done. Now we wait.”

You smile at him and he flicks a glance to Rotom. It’s 3am.

“Let’s go back to sleep.”

You’re a little excited to sleep though, knowing that Gengar had spoken to you and you want to talk as much as possible but the ghost pokemon pokes his head from your shadow and tells you he’s going to rest too so you suppose you should just take it easy and sleep considering how exhausted you are.

With a yawn, you nod and flop over the sleeping bag with Leon’s arms wrapped around you. Now that you think about it, you’re amazed you were able to sleep so soundly with him beside you.

You had enjoyed being spooned so you turn to lie on your side with your back pressed against his chest and as expected, he gently worms his arm around your waist and you sigh with content. You make yourself comfortable and cosy in your spot before grabbing his arm and holding it tightly to your chest. His heartbeat speeds up and he swallows down loudly.

"Leon?"

"Y-yes?"

"Are you okay?"

"...I'm okay."

You let out a stifled laugh. “Alright then. Goodnight.”

“G-goodnight.”

Reaching over, you switch off the lamp and the tent is encased in darkness once again.

…

You wake up before Leon and during the night, you’ve deviated a great deal; you find yourself lying flat on your back and he’s curled up beside you with his face buried against your neck and his arms wrapped around your waist. What surprises you the most is how tightly he holds you and how much he’s pressed himself against your body with your legs tangled together.

He’s still fast asleep and you don’t want to wake him up so you remain still, staring at the ceiling of the tent and thinking about last night before you swerve your gaze down to the sleeping champion once more.

Leon grumbles incoherently before he inches even closer to you than ever before, burying his nose further into your nape and sighing under his breath. His hair tickles your chin, cheeks and nose and you try your best not to laugh.

Closing your eyes, you allow yourself to be at ease and to relax with a smile on your face until Rotom suddenly twitches in his spot and he rises into the air, his eyes glowing brightly before he emits a loud ring and this time, both you and Leon groan heavily in response.

“Bzzrt, eep! Mezzzage! You have received a private mezzage from PinkZzylveon! Bzz, I hope thizzz izzz urgent….” Rotom buzzes helplessly as he’s forced awake.

“Huh…?” you utter whilst Leon clings onto you, half-awake.

“Nmm…what time is it?” he mumbles blearily.

“Six am….”

“You can watch the sunrizzze if you’re quick enough…” Rotom adds, disgruntled.

“Oh….good idea…” Leon mutters and he settles himself into your embrace once more and you watch as he closes his eyes for a brief moment…then re-open again in a split second. He swerves his gaze up to you and you look at him, then Leon untangles his arms from you hastily, wide awake with shock, and promptly sits up. “Um, g-good morning…”

“Morning Leon.”

“Arceus, I-I’m so sorry.”

You watch him splutter and stammer for a few seconds before you say, “Sorry for what?”

His face turns various shades of red but when you smile at him reassuringly, he gradually calms down and smiles bashfully at you in response.

“Did you sleep well?” he murmurs quietly.

You nod. "Did you?"

"I did. It was the best sleep I'd ever had."

You are oddly flattered.

“C’mon, let’s get ready,” you reply, moving to stand, stretching slightly. “Do you want to watch the sunrise together?”

“Yes,” he agrees, as you rifle through your pile of folded clothes and hand him his hoodie to him before you grab your sweater and throw it on.

Afterwards, Rotom settles into your hands and you swipe the screen to see what this message is. It was sent to you via your blog, only visible to you. It says: _This is regarding the_ _hairclip. Please come to 23 Dorset Road, Motostoke. It belongs to my sister. We need your help. This is my number._

“Interesting,” you utter under your breath as your eyes roam over the phone number provided. The area code belongs to Kanto.

“Zzzhall we reply?”

“Not yet.”

You’re wanting to watch the sunrise with Leon, so you both get ready in the tent though he says he should leave to give you some privacy but it’s freezing outside so you tell him he can just turn round. When you’re fully dressed, you don your coat whilst Leon pulls on his thick hoodie. He takes his scarf and loops it around your neck before you both leave the sanctity of the tent and step out into the cold. It’s always frigid in the Wild Area on mornings like this which you’re beginning to get used to.

“I wonder if there’s a good spot nearby,” Leon muses under his breath before he brings out his own Rotom phone and tampers with it. He scrutinises the screen thoroughly before he beams widely. “Ah, found one.”

“Whereabouts?” you ask, joining his side.

“It’s telling us to go that way,” Leon says, pointing to the far right of the lake.

However, when you check the phone, something doesn’t look quite right with the direction he’s pointing to and the marker on the map doesn't align properly – on the contrary, it is indicating to the left.

You gently take his arm and swivel him round so he’s pointing to the other way. The marker follows his movement and the marker begins to blink, indicating he is now on the right track, in the correct direction. Leon blushes whilst you smile.

Despite having a cold breakfast consisting of berry juice, granola and yoghurt, it tastes ten times delicious than usual because you’re eating together and when you’re finished, you and Leon head for the direction of the marker.

Vulpix trots alongside you and Charizard lingers behind.

“Was she born like that?” you utter under your breath as you throw a sideways glance to the fox pokemon. She seems to be doing well despite missing an eye though she leans heavily to one side as she pads along.

“Yeah, so her owner deemed her unsuitable for battling,” Leon explains, “she was abandoned at the pokemon nursery.”

You shake your head at this.

Vulpix seems happy under your care and she looks up at you and you look at her. When you lock gazes, she wags her little tail.

“She’s still a baby. The tail is meant to split as they grow older, right?”

“Yep,” Leon replies jovially.

“I’ll make sure she grows healthy and strong.”

Vulpix yaps affectionately, you smile at her and Leon squeezes your hand tightly.

He wanted to hold your hand along the way; you had seen him glancing at you wistfully though he had remained quiet but alas, actions speak louder than words and he had gently reached for your hand, pulling you close to him and weaving your fingers together.

He blushes the entire time and his hand becomes sweaty as he sneaks little peeks at you every now and then from the corner of his eyes for your reaction.

And when you’d glance up at him curiously, he doesn’t look away as you expected; instead, he holds your gaze, smiles and brush his thumb against the base of your palm tenderly which sends numerous shivers down your spine. This is a side to Leon which you didn’t think you’d ever see at all.

It also occurs to you that you will need to tell Sonia, Jace, the professor and Graves about this. No doubt, Sonia might be squealing for days. Jace seems a little on the fence with Leon judging from your past conversations, and you’re not sure how Graves will react either but he seems relaxed about Leon.

That’s a thought for another time as Rotom leads you away from the campsite - at least a good twenty minutes or so - and you find yourselves situated at a grassy hill that’s much larger than the other spot you took Leon last time and on this occasion, the view is far more rewarding and grandiose.

A clean, grassy spot invites you to plop yourselves down along with Charizard but the flame pokemon decides not to be a third wheel; before he leaves, he nudges the two of you to sit closely together as much as possible, then he retreats to the direction of the trees where he joins Vulpix so it’s just you and Leon. Charizard gives you the equivalent of a thumbs up using his claws.

“I once told myself I’d see the sunrise with someone special…I always hoped it would be you," Leon says.

You blush heavily and he grins at your response.

When you realise he’s not looking away, it occurs to you he’s admiring you and your cheeks grow even warmer; he reaches over and wraps an arm around your shoulder, bringing you close and you blink wide-eyed for a brief moment before smiling widely.

You huddle together as the sun begins to peek out between the trees and hills. The dark horizon eventually begins to clear up, bathing the wilderness with a tawny, warm glow and you recall the dream. 

“Are you free this evening?” he murmurs.

“Yeah.”

“Would you like to have dinner?”

It takes a lot to keep yourself calm and collected and you croak out, “I’d love to but where would we go? People are going to recognise you.”

“You could come over to my house. I’ll let my mum know you’re coming. She wants to see you again.”

You’re about to reply, but the sun becomes so bright you have to shield your eyes; you soak in the warmth of the sun, sighing with content and squaring your shoulders, causing him to chuckle. Unfortunately, the sunrise is over in a short period of time which prompts you both to leave.

It’s time to part ways though you have agreed to have dinner with him later at his house: Leon will return to Wyndon for his photoshoot with Miss Galar and you will check out the address in Motostoke and return the hairclip.

Leon helps you to stand and as you turn, you thought your eyes were playing tricks on you but you believed you had seen the dark silhouette of a man standing behind the pokemon as they were waiting for you.

In the blink of an eye however, the shadow disappears and you’re left staring at Charizard and Vulpix.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing.”

Returning to the campsite, Charizard helps you take down the tent and roll it up whilst Mimikyu and Vulpix help Leon out with the packing.

Once everything’s stowed away, the campsite is vacated and you begin the hike to return to the challenger’s path, chatting and holding hands until a faint rumbling sound grabs your attention and you turn round to see a familiar and large wooden wagon approaching, pulled by a Tauros.

You wonder if Leon would let go of your hand (he doesn't) and you ponder if whoever is driving the wagon is staring (they are).

As the wagon passes you, it is driven by none other than the farmer from Turrfield, the one who passed you and Leon when you had first met. The one who wouldn't let you on and called you cursed and bad luck. 

He's staring with widened eyes at you and obviously you're holding hands with the Champion. In fact, he gawks so relentlessly that he doesn't realise where he's going and he misses the gaping dirt hole up ahead. The wagon jostles, the wheel lodged fast in the ditch and he yelps as everything comes to a stop and Tauros rears with a bellow.

"Whoa there, Toro!! Easy, old boy...easy..."

The wagon's stuck; after calming the bull, the farmer jumps off to inspect the wheel and sighs, scratching his head underneath his straw hat. 

You exchange quick glances with Leon before heading over. The farmer notices and begins spluttering at once.

"G-good mornin', Mr Champion! Fancy seein' you here again!"

"Apologies, have we met before?" Leon asks with a smile. 

Leon doesn’t remember his face. The farmer looks as surprised as you are. You could tell him, say it's the old fart who wouldn't give you a ride last time, but you remain silent and the farmer throws a sheepish glance to the ground.

"Do you need help with that?" Leon asks.

He clears his throat and stutters out, "Nah, s’alright. You two young'uns better run along now. I got this covered..." he trots to the back of his wagon and begins to push, leaning his scrawny self against the wood. "God-freakin'-damnit, I knew I should've bought that lousy HM!"

True, the Strength HM would've been helpful in these kinds of situation. He struggles, grunting and growling, and Leon rolls his sleeves up, releases Charizard, and they both head to the back of the wagon to assist the old man.

"We'll give you a hand."

"Oh, thank you, you're so kind, Mr Champion."

"It's no problem at all, sir."

"Hey...you there, girl. Do you mind watchin' over old Toro for me?" the farmer asks, "but be gentle with 'im. He's still a brute."

You nod and stroll over to Tauros who huffs and stomps one hoof on the dusty ground, shaking himself. He's somewhat agitated but you do your best to calm him. Reaching over, you gently stroke his grizzled mane and he watches as you pat his horns and rub the bottom of his jaw. The pokemon grows still, and you smile.

"Good boy," you murmur. 

"Be careful," Leon says, peeking out from one side of the wagon.

On the count of three, the men and Charizard successfully push the wagon out and you hop away as the wheel is finally freed and the wagon is back on the path, safe. The farmer looks pleased as Leon returns Charizard and heads over to your side with a grin. You check if he's fine before dabbing away at some sweat on his forehead with a tissue.

"Well, I can't thank you two enough," the farmer says as he hops into the seat. "And uh....here, this is somethin' for your troubles." He reaches to the side and pulls out two fresh bottles of moo moo milks and pots of honey which he hands over. “It’s not much but it’s the best I can do, sorry."

"No problem, sir. Have a good day."

"You too. Take care. Goodbye now."

With the minor distraction out of the way, you continue your journey and finally, you reach a fork in the path – one that will lead to Hammerlocke and the other to Motostoke.

You and Leon will part ways here.

The path looks unwelcoming all of a sudden.

You throw him a glance from the corner of your eye, wondering what he might be thinking of when he instinctively steps towards you and anxiously slides his arms around your waist, his warm hands brushing against the side of your body before he gently pulls you closer to him.

His gesture brings a smile to your face as you plant your arms on his shoulders, weaving and twirling your fingers through his thick, long hair.

“Be careful,” he murmurs, “are you sure you don’t need me to go with you?”

“I’ll be fine,” you reply with the same hushed tone he’s employed. 

The moment your eyes meet, your breath lodges in your throat; neither of you make a move to pull away and you both linger a little longer than necessary before Leon begins to lean forwards.

Although you can tell he’s getting nervous again, you stand still for him as the gap between you grows smaller and smaller and your noses brush together.

Relishing your presence and the close proximity, he affectionately nuzzles you for a few seconds or so before he angles his face to the side, his lips pucker up slightly and you bite down on your lip, trying not to laugh.

Oblivious, Leon lightly skims his mouth over yours before he presses his lips against yours firmly.

He starts off gentle, being very careful not to hurt you or make you uncomfortable in any way. You let him lead this time and he kisses you coyly.

His lips are so soft against yours, slowly pulling you in and ensuring every inch of your lips are covered by his mouth.

Heat blooms in your chest and your heart thuds; your mouths seem to mould together perfectly and your thoughts are silenced as his scents enraptures you from all over along with the searing warmth of his hands on your body, his fingers faintly digging into your flesh.

He clutches you tightly to him, your lips pressing together until you sweep your hand over his cheek and your fingertips brush over the rugged stubble along his jaw.

Leon grins against your mouth then presses a light, feathery peck on your lips before applying just the tiniest amount of pressure to deepen the kiss.

You giggle lightly in response until your ears pick up the sounds of a twig snapping and you both stop at once, pulling away and glancing over to the source.

A few feet away, a couple of bushes rustle loudly until a chubby Gloom pops out and waddles from the undergrowth, followed by two diminutive Oddish; you and Leon watch as they cross the path in front of you and hop over to the other side, disappearing into the tall grass.

You sigh with relief whilst Leon chuckles and lifts your hand to his lips, pressing a small kiss over your knuckles then over your cheek before he retreats, his face reddening as he watches you for your reaction.

“H-how was that?” he asks nervously, and you know he’s talking about the kiss.

“Hmm, I think we should practice more.”

“I’d like that,” he admits quietly.

You smile fondly at him in return as he swerves his glance to your entwined hands.

”Am I...your first kiss?”   
  
Leon is your first proper kiss, so you nod.

He gleams at once, ecstatic. He’s positively glowing now.

”You’re my first too,” he murmurs.

“You’re so sweet, Leon,” you reply, and his face turns a darker shade of red. 

“...There’s something I need to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“Will you wait for me?” he murmurs, “I get challenged by gym challengers every day and I have been defending my title for many years…but there will be a day when I'm no longer Galar’s Champion.”

“Don’t say that,” you reply with a pout.

“It’s true, but until that day happens I’ll continue doing my best. It’s my dream to make the trainers of Galar the strongest in the world. I just wanted to know…when the day comes and Galar no longer needs me... will you be there for me?”

“Of course!” you reassure him with a wide grin, squeezing his hand. “I’ll always be there for you.”

His cheeks go pink and he nods.

“And, um…The party. It’s after my match with Volkner. The dress code is formalwear and there will be dancing. There’ll be a simple waltz.”

You go bug-eyed by the mere mention. “Dancing?? I don’t really dance…”

“Do you know how to dance?”

“No.”

He chuckles. “I can teach you the basics. I'm not an expert but I had to learn how to dance for events like these, though they are very rare.”

“Is it weird that I know how to deal with evil spirits but I don’t know how to dance?” you utter without thinking twice, and Leon laughs, shaking his head. “Alright, I’ll need to do a bit of shopping then. I'll need something to wear. I should go now.”

You toss your glance to the path and jab your thumb to the other direction with much reluctance.

“Sure, I’ll see you later.”

“Bye.”

“…Goodbye.”

You hop onto the path with your bag swinging behind you, turning round to wave as he stands limply on his spot. “Bye, Leon.”

He reluctantly sets off to his direction, waving. “Bye.”

The departure is painful.

It is strange, just waving to him and walking off. Maybe you should've kissed and cuddled more. A hell lot more. You remind yourself that you are seeing him later.

So here you are, unwillingly meandering down the path to Motostoke on your own and away from Leon who’s on the path to Wyndon; you keep throwing glances over your shoulder before he’s out of sight and he does the same; the moment your eyes meet and surprisingly enough, you’re not inclined to look away as you would usually do.

And unfortunately you no longer get to see him when you head down the bend of the path and a huge dollop of trees blocks your view and he is finally out of sight. Your heart is still hammering and your cheeks still feel very warm, your lips tingling. You can’t wait to see him again later in the evening.

Glancing up to the clear blue sky above your head, a flock of bird pokemon soars ahead in V formation and you sigh with content as you gaze at the lush forestry, at the flowing river to your left where little Woopers and Barboach weave their way upstream.

Smiling to yourself, you grasp the strap of your bag firmly to your chest as you close your eyes and inhale a deep breath of fresh, crisp air.

You head to an empty forest clearing in order to receive a better signal before you bring up the message you received about the hairclip and ask Rotom to call the number and wait for a response.

“ _Hello?_ ”

The voice belongs to a girl.

“Good morning, this is the pokemon researcher of Wedgehurst. I received your message.”

“ _Oh!_ _Thanks for the callback_.”

“No problem. Have I called you at a good time?”

“ _Yes, yes, it’s all good. Do you have the hairclip?_ ”

“Yeah. I was thinking of returning it to you today if possible.”

“ _Yes please, I’m free right now. Could you come over? You’ve got my address, right?_ ”

“I do. I’ll be there in half hour tops.”

“ _Thank you_.”

After you hang up, you call for a Corviknight taxi to take you to twenty three Dorset Road, Motostoke. The shops aren’t open yet, so you could do some investigation first.

When it arrives, you climb in and Corviknight spreads his wings with a loud caw and takes off to the skies and in a matter of minutes, you have arrived outside a quaint two-storey, detached house with umber red walls and a white door; it opens and the same pink-haired girl you had seen yesterday emerges with a Sylveon by her side.

When the carriage lands on the front lawn with a gentle thud, you climb out and as you’re about to pay the fare, the girl quickly steps over and pulls out a wad of notes from her pocket, handing them to the cabbie.

“It’s on me,” she says before she turns to you and nudges her head towards the house. “Come on in.”

“Thanks,” you murmur, as Corviknight and the cabbie take their leave.

She holds the door open for you and you step inside the house, arriving at a small entryway where she urges you to remove your shoes. She removes her slippers, leaving herself barefoot as she weaves into the lounge.

The house is an atypical home and you see nothing out of the ordinary, though you can sense a darkness has settled within. It’s slathered all over the ceiling and crawls down the walls. A pungent, sour smell invades your nose….possibly originating from old shoes or leftover food.

And somewhere upstairs, you hear muffled sobbing and wailing.

“That’s my mum,” she says, “don’t mind her.”

At the top of the stairs, the ghost you saw yesterday lingers by the banister, staring at you silently.

It’s bizarre seeing a spirit in broad daylight and in this shape and form yet your eyes do not play tricks on you. Stepping forwards for a closer look, you mentally note that her body is transparent yet her eyes are as dark as night. You scrutinize her form for a while before she turns a smooth one eighty angle and floats away, disappearing into the wall.

“That’s Flora. My sister,” the girl says, snapping you out of your thoughts.

“You can see her?”

“Yeah. I’ve always been able to see ghosts. And uh, thanks for coming by the way.”

She appears oblivious to your stunned expression and invites you to enter the living room where the negative energy is even stronger and the entire room is encased in darkness; your throat clams up, windpipe constricting and you struggle for breath. She doesn’t seem to notice how suffocated you are as you blindly make your way inside and she gestures for you to sit on one of the couches.

The Sylveon heads to a basket near the TV and curls up inside as the girl strolls past you and into the kitchen, asking if you want a drink. Tea or coffee. You opt for tea and a while later, she returns with two pink Jigglypuff mugs of steaming hot drinks and sits down on the couch adjacent to yours. 

She looks at you from head to toe and you do the same.

The Delcatty clock ticks loudly on the wall.

You lift the cup to your lips and take a sip.

It's too hot.

The distorted weeping upstairs grows steadily in volume.

“I can’t believe you’re here in the flesh,” she says quietly, “I’ve read all about you, I’m a longtime lurker of your blog by the way and I love what you do. Ghosts, evil spirits, cursed objects…I’ve read every article you’ve posted.”

“Thank you very much for the patronage.”

“Oh, it’s no bother at all. I love your work. So…where should I begin?”

“You could start off by telling me a bit about yourself and what you need my help for.”

She nods and places her cup down on the glass table. It emits a loud clang. The sobbing begins to descend into persistent croaks and gasps before it acts up again.

“Sure. My name is Francesca Warren. Everyone calls me Frankie. I’m fifteen years old and I’ve been able to see ghosts for as long as I can remember. It wasn’t really a problem for me…I learned to ignore them but unfortunately, it means I can see Flora. I want to help her move on but I don’t know how or why she can’t, and that’s why I need your help. I know you wrote about this on your blog but I’d love it if you could tell me everything in person.”

You nod in response. “Of course. There are a variety of reasons why spirits can’t move on. It’s usually due to their attachments to people, places, and also there may even be things that could hold her back from making the transition.”

“Like what?”

The crying upstairs continues so you briefly flick your glance up to the ceiling.

“Sometimes it’s because there is a loved one who can’t let go of the deceased, so this emotional bond binds the spirit and thus it cannot move on.”

“Oh,” says Frankie.

“Then there are negative emotions such as hatred or injustice towards something or someone, usually their murderer. If they are severe, the spirit will refuse to move on and this is more difficult to deal with…but there are also instances when people are confused or disoriented at the moment of their death, so they may not realise they’re dead which can also impact their moving on.”

“Got it.”

“Either way, I’m glad you reached out, your sister needs to move on as soon as possible. I’ll see what I can do.”

You wonder if she may need time to mourn when you see the corner of her eyes begin to fill up with tears yet she suddenly clenches her knuckles and says, “Thank you so much. I know how much you charge and I’m prepared to pay.”

“We can talk about renumeration afterwards.”

“Thank you.”

And the crying upstairs eventually subsides.

You shift your gaze to the ceiling and Frankie does the same briefly, before she averts her gaze to you and you glance at her and for a second or so, your gazes linger for a rather uncomfortable moment before she smiles thinly and you are forced to respond with a smile of your own.

“Then let’s get started,” Frankie says, rising from her seat. “Uh…where exactly should we start?”

“Tell me a bit more about Flora. What are the circumstances?”

“Oh, right. Of course. Well…” she lowers her voice drastically and urges you to lean towards her so she can whisper, “my sister doesn’t remember how she died…nor does she know why she died or who killed her, but we do.”

She grabs a manila folder from a shelf of the coffee table and hands it to you; you lift the flap and pull out a newspaper clipping. The headlines says: “ _BLACKBELT KILLS GIRLFRIEND_ ” and there is a mugshot of an attractive but stern-looking young man with dark eyes on the cover.

“It was him. He did it. And since then, Flora appeared to me. Do you know how hard it is to see your sister, dead as a doornail?" she says, her voice beginning to rise a few octaves.

"...I can't possibly imagine your pain."

Frankie regains her composure and takes a deep breath. "Anyway, I attend boarding school in Kanto, Fuchsia City, so I’ve been away from home for a while. I just flew back. And when I got the news, the weather was bad and I had a dreadful feeling, like something wasn’t quite right. Then I got a call from my mum, saying Flora had been killed and her body was found. I flew back home on the first flight.”

“I’m sorry. That must have been horrible.”

“It was, but seeing her like this is worse. I usually see her in the house but lately she disappears at night and cabbies are finding her at the Watchtower Ruins in the Wild Area. She’ll hitch a ride, come back to the house but she'll disappear in the cab mid-ride. It’s happened four times now. You can read how Flora was killed in that newspaper I gave you but there’s also something else you should know.”

Frankie heads to the mantelpiece in the lounge, beckoning you over.

There are only a few photos on display and the rest of the mantelpiece appears to be covered in a thin layer of dust, albeit there are some ‘clean’ spots which shows that there used to be adornments here but had been removed.

The photos contain a beautiful young woman smiling widely for the camera – Flora, of course – dressed in all sorts of evening gowns and donned in tiaras and ribbons. The awards, ribbons and trophies are also inscribed with her name and the ribbon says ‘ _Miss Motostoke’._

“Flora was Miss Motostoke?” you murmur, and Frankie nods furiously, “the beauty pageant is over though. Flora was supposed to compete?”

“Yeah. She made it to the finals. But obviously after news of her death, another girl from Motostoke took her place instead.”

You check the remainder of the photos and see another woman is heavily featured in some photos. “Your mum, right?"

Frankie nods. 

“She’s an ex-beauty pageant queen?”

“Yep.”

Glancing at the mantelpiece, you inspect the clean spots. “What was here before?” you ask out of curiosity.

“I think it was my mother’s trophies. I'm sure her tiara was here. She must’ve put it away. She won Miss Galar a long time ago.”

It’s also worth noting that you don’t see any photos of Frankie or her father anywhere. “Is your dad…?”

“He left when I was born,” Frankie replies, a little offhandedly.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, I barely knew him.”

“Can I talk to your sister?”

Frankie deadpans. “Um….you can try,” she says dryly, “she doesn’t actually talk. I’ll show you what I mean. Follow me.”

Frankie leads you out of the living room and to the stairs where you see a tall and dark shadow standing at the top of the landing: you freeze on the spot but it’s not Flora – it’s a bedraggled looking woman with long hair framing the sides of her face….and she is bathed in squirming dark tendrils that has completely swamped her from head to toe.

Whilst you merely stare, Frankie is clearly alarmed and exclaims, “Mum! You gave me a fright.”

“Sorry, Frank,” she blows her nose into a tissue; her eyes are swollen, red and watery. “Who’s this?”

Frankie flings her glance to you and introduces you briefly, mentioning your name but she doesn’t say you are a researcher and that she invited you. Instead, she tells her mother that you are a friend of Flora’s.

“Hello ma’am,” you say, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

The woman looks a little confused before her eyes ultimately narrow into slits. “Flora never mentioned your name to me before,” she hisses with much suspicion.

“It’s okay, mum. We’re friends.”

Without another word, the woman tosses you another wary look before she retreats into her room and you hear the door slam shut.

Frankie glances at you and bites on her lip nervously. “Sorry. My mum usually isn’t like this. She’s completely changed since Flora died.”

You nod as you begin your ascent up the stairs which you find rather steep, and the higher you go up, the pressure of the house increases and you let out a loud gasp of breath.

“What’s wrong?” Frankie asks, with an eyebrow raised.

“Can’t you feel it?”

“Feel what?”

You shake your head limply and as you pass the mother’s room where more dark tendrils squiggle and writhe between the gaps of the door, you murmur a quick chant to bless it but at the same time, you can see Frankie's mother inside.

She sits on the edge of the bed, crying and clutching a silver tiara in hands. It's the Miss Galar tiara - a beautiful, glimmering silver crown that glints brightly under the light adorned with a pink gemstone in the middle. 

You quietly step away; she doesn't notice.

The shadows dissolve in a quick moment and you follow Frankie as she escorts you to a room. The door is closed and a plaque decorated with flowers says ‘Flora’ in flowery print.

Frankie takes a deep breath and slowly eases the door open as silently as possible.

The first thing you notice is that the room is musty. Her room must have been closed off for some time and there is a thin layer of dust on the ground. Frankie instructs you to keep quiet and to be as careful as possible as she tiptoes around the bed where the sheets haven’t been touched and there’s a pillow with a dent in the middle where someone used to lay their head down on it.

You follow her, creeping around the desk where a sketchbook lays open on the surface containing a bunch of fashion designs along with an unused pen that stands beside a ballerina figurine. A dressmaking mannequin is propped to the right near the bookshelf where a beautiful, tailored ruby red dress has been slipped over.

Frankie heads over to the dress at once, dusting at the pauldrons with her fingers before she glances at you; you’re fixated on something else entirely. Flora stands in front of the wide window with her back to you, her neck uncomfortably bent to one side.

“Flora?” you say quietly.

She does not reply so you swerve your gaze to Frankie and she whispers, “See what I mean?”

Flora was responsive enough to leave behind her hairclip for you though.

A few seconds later and she slowly turns round, her eerie and empty eyes meeting yours. Now you believe otherwise, so you tell her your name and who you are, what you do.

“I’m here to help,” you add, “Frankie and I will do our best to help you move on.”

The spirit appears calm and docile but it is apparent she is responsible for the dark presence that has encompassed the entire house and most noticeably, their mother. The energy is emitting from her in little wisps.

“In order to do that, you need to tell us what you want.”

“ _The pageant_.”

Frankie’s jaw drops.

Flora’s voice is faint. An echo.

“She talked,” Frankie breathes out.

”What about the pageant, Flora?”

“ _I need to compete._ _I know it’s over but_ _I wish there was a way I could have participated_.”

You contemplate for a while before you swerve your eyes to the dress on the mannequin. Frankie gawks at her sister with disbelief.

The room drops into silence before you say, “There is a way. I can... let you possess me.”

Frankie continues gawping. “What?”

“It’s not unheard of. I can let you possess me and we’ll hold our own private pageant. I think we're both roughly the same height and size, so...the clothes shouldn't be an issue.”

“S-seriously???”

You nod.

“Are you okay with that?” Frankie splutters out, “will you be okay??”

“Yes. We need to help her move on. If this is the only way to help her, so be it. If we do nothing, she’ll become an evil spirit; she’s already at an early stage-“

“Who on earth gave you permission to go in here?!” screams a shrill voice, and Flora immediately vanishes whilst you and Frankie wince uncontrollably from the extortionate noise.

Frankie’s mum stands at the doorway, her face flush with anger.

“Get out!! Get out at once!”

“S-sorry mum,” Frankie says and you’re both quickly booted out of the room.

You watch the woman inspect the dress before she hysterically checks the pillows and the sheets, before she sighs with relief when everything is intact.

“Um, let’s go,” Frankie mutters under her breath, tugging on your sleeve.

Once you’re downstairs, you tell Frankie you should take your leave, which she agrees. She watches as you pick up your shoes and slip them on.

“By the way, did you mean what you said…that Flora will become an evil spirit? Are you serious?”

“I’m always serious. She’s haunting you and your house."

"Don't say it like that, I'm glad I still get to see her!"

"It's the truth. There are spirits who have unfinished business and the longer a spirit remains on this plane, the more it will begin to lose consciousness of itself. It will begin to warp and lose shape and form. It will lose everything.”

“But Flora’s not…she’s not _evil_.”

“There are plenty of reasons why evil spirits are created. It doesn’t necessarily _have_ to be because it is evil. They no longer belong to this world, Frankie.”

She nods meekly.

“But you’re right. Your sister was gravely injured, particularly on her head…so I think that’s why she doesn’t recall how she died because if she did, well...she would’ve turned into an evil spirit immediately. Most evil spirits want to exact revenge against their murderers or they inflict their pain and suffering onto others. By then, they’re unsalvageable.”

“So…it’s a good thing Flora doesn’t remember?”

“Well, yes and no...but let’s not focus on that. There are several things we need to work on right now. Firstly, since we’re going to help your sister move on and her wish is to compete in the pageant, we need to reenact it. That means I need the clothes she was going to wear for it, any props and accessories, but I also want you to ask your mum for permission. Second, we should get a tiara or something for the pageant if possible-“

“Oh! Leave that to me, I could just borrow my mum’s. She won’t even notice!”

“…Are you sure?”

“Yeah! Will this work though?”

“Yes, it should.”

“Okay, let me get my sister’s stuff ready. I’ll let you know how I get on. When will we hold it?”

”I’ll be in touch.”

Without further ado, you leave the Warren residence and turn to look at the house one last time.

Flora stands at the window of her bedroom, staring limply outside.

…


	22. Legend of the Void

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You begin your investigation and get the chance to explain to Leon about your studies on the spirit world. Leon’s mum and Hop show you how extra they can be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 21.01.2021
> 
> Hi everyone, wherever you are, I hope you are well and healthy. 
> 
> Finally I can squeeze some cosmic elements into this fic :) also some science fiction too lol

**Legend of the Void**

…

…

[1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause.

2\. The universe began to exist.

3\. Therefore, the universe has a cause (which was itself not caused).

\- The Kalam cosmological argument.]

…

…

“I’m home.”

“Welcome back!”

Upon your return to Wedgehurst, Sonia and Magnolia, Runerigus and Cutiefly are in the conservatory enjoying tea. You greet everyone, share an embrace and Cutiefly dives for your hair, burrowing himself under your locks.

“Would you like some tea, dear?” Magnolia asks, lifting up an empty cup.

“Yes please.”

She smiles and begins to wander into the kitchen.

“Ah, wait – professor, I can do it myself-“

“It’s okay, come sit,” Sonia says, grabbing your arm and pulling you into the empty seat beside her. “Where’d you go last night?”

“Oh, I met up with Leon,” you reply nonchalantly. “We’re together.”

Her jaw drops. “You’re _what_??”

“Sorry, I should’ve told you earlier. I didn’t really know what to say, nothing was official.”

Sonia blinks wide-eyed for a moment before she slaps a perfectly manicured hand over her mouth. Emitting a muffled squeal of glee, she proceeds to throw her arms around you, enveloping you into a tight hug.

“I knew there was something between you two but I didn't think -- oh, never mind, I’m so happy for you!” she exclaims, and you smile awkwardly, gently placing your hand over her arm. 

“Thanks, I, um…I have a favour to ask of you though.”

“What is it?”

“I need you to-“

Unfortunately you’re interrupted when Magnolia returns with your cup of tea. Polteageist floats beside her, having helped with the brewing and when he sees you, you both share a hug.

“Here you are, my dear,” Magnolia says as you accept the cup. It’s piping hot and smells wondrous.

“Thank you, professor.”

“Inspector Graves came by earlier; he told me to give you this,” Magnolia picks up an A4 envelope from the table and hands it to you. “He says they’re accepting new recruits and he wants you to try it out.”

You open it carefully and pull out the contents; it’s a pile of application forms for the police academy recruitment scheme. “Oh…” you mutter, “thanks, I’ll have a look at it later.”

“Can I tell her?” Sonia says giddily.

“What?? No, it’s too early!” you yelp.

"But-"

“Girls, what’s going on?” Magnolia demands, swapping glances between you and Sonia.

“N-nothing, professor.”

“Let’s go upstairs,” Sonia says and before you can reply, she tugs on your arm and pulls you up and off the couch, guiding you to the staircase.

Magnolia watches as you both scurry away and out of sight before she slides into a plush seat beside the stone pokemon who has been enjoying his cup of tea silently, holding the floral teacup daintily in his shadowy hands.

“Would you like some more Darjeeling, Runerigus?” she asks, lifting up the teapot.

He nods and she empties some into his little cup before she fills her own; they exchange smiles as they take a sip at the same time.

...

Upstairs, Sonia closes the door behind her and joins you on the bed, sitting cross-legged and clutching your arm.

“So! Tell me everything. I want all the details. _All of them_.”

You recall last night’s events though you do omit some information, namely the dream. You feel bad for not telling her there was something between you and Leon, especially the time when you had almost kissed at the hospital and when he brought you flowers, but she doesn't appear nonplussed and nods to herself, hand under her chin.

“That’s typical of him,” she says with a giggle before she sighs and flexes her hands together, smiling to herself, "I've known Leon since we were kids so I'm really happy for him. It's so strange; you've been here for a few years and you kept missing him and he kept missing you...and even when gran and I wanted you to meet him, you were always busy or away investigating so you never got the chance and neither did he...but then this happens and now you're together!!! You were always closeby but you never even got the chance to see each other...oh, I don't know, but I was always hoping for you to meet; I knew you two would hit it off." 

"Yeah, I guess we wasted the years."

"Nooo, that's not what I meant at all; it's what people say 'when it's supposed to happen, it happens'," she replies, and you laugh. “So…you’ve kissed, right? You must have. How was it? What was it like to kiss the _Champion of Galar_?”

Your cheeks grow pink. You've never really spoken to Sonia about boys before, but this is rather refreshing.

“...Well, it was really nice,” you mumble, throwing your glance down to fiddle with the hem of your sleeve. You’re not sure whether to tell Sonia that he was really shy and nervous.

“Oh, come on! Tell me bit a lot more than that!” she whines, pouting.

“I’m serious. It was fine, it was really nice. A bit wet?”

Sonia blows some hair from her face and looks at her nails. “Of course it was wet, it was a _kiss_. Fine, you don’t wanna tell me.”

"We’re going to practice more-“

Her eyes light up at once. “Oh!”

“And we’re going to meet up again later.”

“ _Oh_.”

“Actually, now there’s two things I need your help with. Leon’s invited me to a party and I need an outfit-“

“I’ll help you!”

You chuckle at her enthusiasm. “And the other things is...well, it’s a little complicated to explain in its entirety but I have a new client; her sister is dead and is about to become an evil spirit – the thing is, she was _Miss Motostoke_ but unfortunately she died and now she wants to participate in the pageant in order to move on so I was thinking we’d set up a fake pageant and I’ll let her possess my body so I would like you to be my hair and makeup artist and the presenter if possible. Don't worry, I'll compile a script for you to follow.”

Sonia gawps at you, wide-eyed.

“So, what do you say?”

“…...Sure?”

“Thanks so much, Sonia!!”

"What's going on?" she asks, and you explain to her the case you're currently working on. She listens intently to your plight and when you're all caught up to speed, she nods once more, armed with far more thorough understanding.

“No problem, I can help you... but are you okay doing this? Is this going to be dangerous? Can’t she move on in a different way?”

“It’ll be fine; I know what I’m doing, don’t worry.”

“Where are you going to hold this fake pageant anyway?”

“I was thinking the lab; I could ask Jace to help with the lighting and we could just fix up a curtain or something around upstairs to use as a changing room and cover the rest of the lab with the whiteboards put together. Picture this, we’ll hang some red drapes over them so it looks like the Miss Galar Beauty Pageant stage. I’m not too bothered about the floor. The floor’s fine.”

“…Okay,” she says, tilting her head to the side.

“And I could ask if Leon could be the ‘judge’ again. Maybe ask Volkner…if he’s up for it…We’ll set up some tables in front of the stage for them to sit.”

“You seem to have a plan already," she comments with a sniff.

“I do,” you reply, “I just hope it all works out.”

…

With Sonia’s help secured, your little plan is indeed coming together rather nicely. Your next task is to ask Jace for assistance for lighting and if he can help fix up some curtains and as usual, he’s glad to help in any way, replying to your text message with multiple smiley face emojis.

You also ask him if Volkner would like to be a guest judge and he says he will check with the gym leader.

There’s plenty to do so you head to the lab where you don your white lab coat, put on your reading glasses and begin your investigation. 

You’re not sure why you’ve decided to wear the coat but somehow you feel better wearing it today. It's been a while since you put it on.

At your desk, you put Graves’ application forms to the side for the time being and instead, spread out the contents of the folder Frankie had given you and lay out all the documents, namely the newspaper article about Flora’s death and murderer.

You had spent the taxi ride home reading the contents of the folder and now it’s time to display your findings on your trusty whiteboard which you wipe down, grabbing several pens and some magnets in progress.

Taking a step back, you look at the empty board with marker in hand before scribbling down ‘Miss Galar Beauty Pageant Case’ at the very top before underlining it. The pen squeals loudly with each stroke.

“So we have two sisters, Flora and Francesca Warren aka Frankie,” you write their names along with their ages underneath and attach their photos which you printed off earlier.

Frankie’s photo is a school portrait and Flora is a photo you found online from a previous beauty pageant.

Your audience consists of Vulpix, Mimikyu and Rotom who watch you silently as you work whilst Gengar returns with three cups of steaming hot Boltund Dash Coffee on a tray.

“Thanks Gengar,” you utter, taking the cup off him and he grins in response; he raises his own mug and Mimikyu takes her mug off the tray with a shadowy tendril.

The three of you take a sip at the same time.

“That’s a damn good cup of coffee,” you add.

Gengar nods whilst Mimikyu proceeds to devour the entire cup, swallowing it whole into her body.

“No, no, give that back; that mug belongs to Sonia.”

Mimikyu squeaks angrily but you shake your head firmly. With a growl, she navigates a tendril into her mouth and pulls the mug out and settles it atop the desk. You rub your chin, realising Mimikyu must possess hammerspace.

“Right. Let’s get started then. Flora was to compete in this year’s Miss Galar as _Miss Motostoke_ but unfortunately she passed away a few weeks ago. Frankie immediately came home after news of her elder sister’s death. She was attending boarding school in Kanto. Flora is on the verge of becoming an evil spirit unless we do something about it. She haunts her family and Flora believes she will be able to move on if she gets to participate in a beauty pageant which we can reenact in order to satiate her restless spirit. This can be achieved if I let her possess me.”

Gengar lifts his hand up.

“Yes?”

He says, _are you sure about this? Are you okay with a ghost possessing you? What about the incident with Edward Rose?_

“I understand your concern but I can risk her possessing me. I managed to expel Edward Rose, I’m sure I can expel her too if anything goes wrong.”

Gengar nods a little unsurely and takes another sip of his coffee.

“Now Flora’s murderer is…” you quickly glance at the article you left on your desk, “Her boyfriend, Hank Walthamstow. Also known as ‘Hank the Tank’ to locals.”

As expected, the news article doesn’t provide enough information, namely the nature of her death. The paper articulates that it was a ‘crime of passion’ and that her boyfriend was suspected of the murder and was in custody.

You ask Rotom to commence a quick search online using viable resources but he comes up with nothing; you’re baffled that there is limited information on her murder but it could be due to Rose censoring negative press on the pageant, which was what he did for his art gallery.

The lack of information frustrates you either way and it means you may need to call Graves, which you won’t do because he has already made it quite clear he does not want you to work on cases and you had also agreed to take a break.

“I suppose I have no choice but to speak to Hank Walthamstow in person then," you mutter, the pokemon watching as you pace up and down. "Let’s find out where he’s being held.”

“Bzzrt, good idea,” says Rotom as he runs a quick search. “Bzzzrt, found him! He’zzzz being held at Wyndon Jail!! Unfortunately, it zzzzeemzzz we have mizzzed vizzziting hourzzz.”

“It’s fine, can you arrange a visit for me first thing tomorrow?”

“You got it!"

“Thanks, Rotom.”

With that out of the way, you pin up Hank’s mugshot beside Flora’s picture. He is an attractive but bulky-looking young man with fearful eyes.

After a few hours of further study, your board has taken more distinct shape and form as you begin to link some of the information together, including a full breakdown of what every contestant had to participate in the beauty pageant, most noticeably a Q&A session, swimsuit and dress catwalk and a talent showcase between three to five minutes long.

Furthermore, the actual Miss Galar beauty pageant took two and a half hours. With Flora as a single contestant, you calculate that you should be able to squeeze everything into roughly half an hour.

Tired and wanting a change of scenery, you head upstairs to sit on the floor with your papers in hand against the white railing, allowing your legs to dangle.

During this time, your pokemon have decided to do other things – Mimikyu and Vulpix are getting along together very well and had spent the remaining hours playing together.

Rotom is sleeping whilst Gengar has remained by your side to help you out with the whiteboard and the documents. 

Leon had messaged you earlier too, informing you that he will pop by the lab when he’s finished, which inexplicably makes you plough through your work at an increased pace so you are ready when he is due to arrive. It's growing dark outside and the lab is swamped in a tawny orange glow from the sunset outside.

You yawn and your stomach grumbles loudly. You’ve been so wrapped up you did not even eat.

A gentle knock on the door grabs your attention and you peer through the gaps of the railing as the door is pushed open; Leon enters along with Charizard at his heels, glancing around until he looks up and spots you upstairs.

“Leon! Charizard!” you exclaim happily.

“Hey – oh,” he looks stunned by your appearance, “I’ve never seen you wearing your coat before.”

“Oh, this old thing? Yeah, that’s because whenever I wore it outside, people kept staring. It attracts too much attention.”

Leon looks at you from head to toe before his cheeks turn a bit pink. “…It suits you,” he utters and you grin in response, standing up and dusting yourself down. “Anyway, are you ready to go? My mum says she has a surprise for us.”

“Sure, I’m almost ready. Just let me get the rest of my papers….”

Leon and Charizard saunter further into the lab and he heads over to the whiteboard and your desk, peering at a small stack of books in one corner before ultimately realising that you’re the author.

Intrigued, he flips through them one by one and as you approach, he murmurs, “I had no idea that you had written and published several books.”

You hop down the stairs and in front of him, shrugging and with your hands in your pocket, “I don’t like to throw it out there.”

Leon smiles at you appreciatively; he is seeing you in a new light and you ask if he’d like to keep one but he tells you he wants to go to the stores and buy it to further support you. 

You didn't quite greet him properly and he's thinking the same as he shyly reaches for your hand and tugs you closer to him, sliding his strong and sturdy arms around your waist and you wrap your arms around his neck, pressing your cheek against the fluffy, soft material of his cape. You close your eyes and sigh quietly, relishing the feel of being in his arms as he buries his nose against the side of your head and into your hair.

"How was work?" you ask, your voice muffled against the thick fabric.

"Fine," he replies, though he sounds tired.

He proceeds to tell you everything he did whilst you hold onto him tightly, snuggling against his chest and enjoying his warmth and he chuckles before he smooths his hand over your hair and pecks the crown of your head. 

Unfortunately, you must pull away and he flings his glance to your whiteboard; it is full of your diagrams, bullet points, blurbs and random scribbles. Some of them are connected together by a red string and pins.

Stunned by the intricacy of it all, Leon asks, “What is all this?”

“It's for the new case; it’s rather complicated."

“How so?”

“Here, let me explain. Have a seat,” you guide him to sit down on an empty chair in front of the board.

As he sits, he crosses his arms over his broad chest and his muscles clench under his tight-fitted champion shirt. You gulp down unconsciously as you receive an eyeful, heading to the board to begin the explanation of your findings.

“The hairclip we discovered last night belongs to a dead beauty pageant contestant called Flora Warren. She was _Miss Motostoke_. According to the press and police reports, she was murdered by her boyfriend, Hank Walthamstow.”

You witness the wince on Leon’s face yet you continue.

“He’s from Stow-on-side and he trained with Bea as a Blackbelt,” you say, gesturing to his mugshot on the board, “He’s currently being held in Wyndon, pleading not guilty. Flora’s body showed signs of struggle and assault. I don’t have a full autopsy report but it said her exact time of death can’t be determined due to the decomposition of her body when she was found but the good thing is I’ve seen her ghost and from what I can see, she appears as she died. Her neck is broken and she has several grievous injuries on her head.

“Her Rotom phone is missing and it’s believed Hank did away with Rotom as well…which is easier to do than people think. All you need to do is separate a Rotom from its device to incapacitate it. I met her family today - her little sister wants me to help her move on, but I believe the circumstances of her death warrants further investigation so I booked myself in for a visit tomorrow and I’ll speak to Hank myself.

“I’ve also spoken to Flora and she believes she will move on if she gets the chance to compete in the pageant. She doesn’t remember anything about her murder either so for the time being, I’ve proposed we reenact the pageant to appease her spirit. I will let Flora possess me so she can carry out her performances and move on. I’ve already asked Sonia and Jace for help and they’ve agreed.”

It occurs to you that you have never spoken to anyone except Jace and Sonia when it comes to cases and you’re somewhat nervous about Leon’s response to all of this.

The conflict is evident on his face. “...She’s certain she’ll move on if she competes in the pageant?”

You nod.

“This sounds dangerous.”

“I’ll be okay, Leon. Trust me,” you reassure him. “She’s on the verge of becoming an evil spirit. If we don’t act now, it’ll be too late.”

He cocks his head to the side. “Are you certain about this?”

“I know this sounds crazy, but yes I am. Please trust me. I know what I'm doing.”

He nods. “Okay. I trust you and it sounds like you need my help too so I’ll help you in any way I can. Ah, I can be the judge,” he replies with a grin, “I should be free this Saturday evening.”

How amazing is it that Leon will extend his help no matter what the circumstances are?

“Leon! Thank you so much! I could bloody well kiss you right now,” you belt out without thinking twice before you step forwards, placing your hands on each side of his face before pressing your lips against his quickly.

Taken aback by the kiss, Leon blushes furiously but he’s smiling when you pull away.

“Great!” you continue to exclaim to yourself, twirling the cane in your hands happily. “Everything’s all coming together nicely.”

“How do we know if Flora has moved on? And when she’s possessing you, will you still be yourself?”

“If I remember correctly... when Edward Rose possessed me, I was still me. I was self-aware," you mutter, “And I should know if Flora has moved on or not. Hopefully, we’ll able to witness it. Do you have any further questions?”

Leon ponders before he throws a quick glance to one of your books. “I’ve never asked you about your research. I’m sorry, I should’ve asked you earlier..."

You smile widely, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. “It’s okay, I don’t mind. What would you like to know?”

“What kind of research have you conducted regarding the spirit world?”

“Excellent question. Allow me to elaborate.”

Swapping the cane for a marker pen, you switch the board to the other side where it is clean and blank.

“It’s known that we occupy a three dimensional space,” you say as you draw various lines messily on the board, “dimensions are simply the different facets of what we perceive to be reality. However, it is widely theoreticized that there are more dimensions, either within these or in between these or even outside of these.

"The possibilities are simply endless, but this also means that across these millions of dimensions, there is a singular dimension which has remained constant and consistent across all of these since the creation of the universe.”

Leon continues to watch as you feverishly draw on the board, drawing various overlapping circles along with arrows going right and left and back again, crossing over each other.

“And this singular, consistent dimension, or universe, is known as the _spirit world_ , or ghost world, land of the dead, the great beyond, take your pick,” you mutter, “it’s another dimension that solely exists outside of time and space and has remained unchanged and unaffected for eons. It’s where spirits and ghost pokemon reside and they can freely travel back and forth between their world and our world. Unlike our universe, separate universes cannot be branched off from this one. It will always remain as one, singular spirit world.

“However, our ability to comprehend it is simply beyond our mental capacity. Does this mean heaven and hell does not exist? Not really, the spirit world could be a form of limbo or purgatory. So you’re probably thinking ‘what does this all mean?’, ‘what does this world look like’ and ‘who created it’?? Well, these are certainly great questions and I myself haven’t seen what the spirit world looks like because Gengar once informed me one had to be dead in order to get there but I’ve seen a portal before.”

“Where?”

“In the basement of my old house. My dad researched on communication between the spirit world and our world. He discovered there's many forms. Ghost pokemon, for example, are a source of communication. They're pretty much bridges between our world and theirs but there's still a lot we don't know about them. My dad also discovered the spirit world can receive and transmit communication in the form of binary or morse code but we never figured out the origins of the transmissions-“

Leon waits for you to finish, but you grow silent.

“...Anyway, the answer as to who or what created it, Ezra told me it was created when the universe was created...which was probably fourteen billion years ago, maybe more, but that’s another can of Weedles for another day.”

"What about Arceus?"

"Ezra says it wasn't Arceus. It was before Arceus."

"The legends say there was a void before Arceus."

"Well, yes, but who or what created the void, thus creating Arceus? Who is the creator of Arceus?"

"...The void?"

"Okay, but if I go back to my previous point, why was there even a void in the first place? And where did the void come from? I could dive into quantum physics and talk about the Big Bang Theory but scientists are still asking the question, 'what was the absolute beginning', 'was there something before it'?"

“I think people are quite content not thinking about that, or knowing in general," Leon replies, placing a hand under his chin in thought, "they’re rather content with the legend of the void.”

"That's what they teach kids in schools, surely there must be more."

Leon looks confused and you finish with a heavy inhale and an equally ragged exhale; your head is beginning to throb, your vision growing dim. Exhausted, your body no longer seems to obey you and you start to sway on your spot until your legs give way.

Leon rushes forwards and catches you in his arms, sweeping you up.

“Hey, are you okay? Take it easy…” he murmurs your name soothingly whilst you deliriously moan and mumble for him under your breath, “You need to rest.”

You shake your head weakly as he applies his palm over your forehead. Luckily, you’re not coming down with something.

“Have you had anything to drink?”

“Yeah…coffee and tea.”

“And when’s the last time you ate?” he asks as he scoops an arm under the back of your knees whilst his other arm remains firm around your shoulder; he effortlessly lifts you up bridal style and carries you towards the direction of the couch.

“I…I think it was this morning…when we were camping…before we left to watch the sunrise…” you croak out sluggishly.

His eyes widen; that was more than twelve hours ago. He shakes his head. This simply won’t do. Once he’s arrived at the couch, he seats himself down and props you up in his arms, letting you rest comfortably against him.

Leon slips off his cloak before he lets go of you briefly to drape the cloak over your body and bundle you up. The cape is so nice and cosy. As the thick fluff of his cape tickles the base of your nose, you unconsciously rub your cheek against it. You sigh contentedly and let yourself sink against the rich, soft material as he carefully wraps you inside before he settles his arms around you once more and rests his chin atop your head.

He glances around and the lab descends into silence for a second time; he sits with you for a few minutes or so until you stir and reopen your eyes.

“How’re you feeling?” he asks.

“Nmm…I’m fine…let’s go…your mum’s waiting…can’t afford to waste any more time,” you mutter, and he nods.

Releasing you, you carefully slide out of his hold and stand to stretch whilst Leon reattaches his cape back over his shoulders. You recall your pokemon and swapping your white coat for a warmer one, you join Leon at the door after ensuring the lab is properly closed up before locking up.

It’s dark outside and Leon offers you his hand.

Together, you make your way down the path, walking close, shoulders bumping. He’ll look at you and when you look at him, he’ll smile and squeeze your fingers.

“I told Sonia we’re together," you blurt out.

“Oh...how’d she take it?”

“She was really happy for us.”

Leon goes pink in response.

“I haven’t told Jace yet. I messaged Graves earlier. I don’t know how he will react.”

“…I haven’t told Raihan yet,” Leon confesses, “he's the gym leader of Hammerlocke."

"Oh."

"We're good friends and he’s always asking me to go on a double date with him and his girlfriend.”

“You can go now."

"Ah, yes, if you want."

Once you arrive at Leon’s house, the outdoor lights are switched off which you find strange; the front door opens and his mother and Hop greet you at the doorway, waving happily.

“Welcome home!!!” they cheer.

Leon’s mum is dressed in a chef’s outfit whilst Hop is wearing a bartender’s uniform, complete with bowtie. He tosses some confetti and blows into a kazoo whilst Wooloo bleats loudly by his heels.

“Mum…Hop, what’s going on?” Leon asks, bewildered.

“We’ve prepared a nice dinner for you!” Leon’s mother exclaims and she quickly hauls you both inside and slams the door shut. “You two must be starving.”

You and Leon exchange glances before he grins widely and you let out a chuckle under your breath.

“I’ll be your chef today and the Hop-meister will be your maître d’.” Leon’s mum adds with a grin.

“May I take your coat, ma’am?” Hop asks, with his arm out.

“Oh, Hop,” you squeak out, whilst Leon looks a little embarrassed. His mother merely winks at him however, so it’s best to play along with their little skit and you remove your coat. “Thank you.”

Hop gathers your coat and turns to Leon next, “And may I take your cape, sir?”

“Um…okay, thanks,” Leon removes his cape and hands it to his brother who proceeds to scurry to the coat rack with Wooloo bounding after him.

“Unfortunately, dinner won’t be ready for another ten minutes. I do apologise for the wait but I will send your maître d’ to get you when it is ready,” Leon’s mum says and she grabs Hop and they return to the kitchen, leaving you and Leon alone.

With a smile, Leon nudges his head to the stairs. “I have something to show you.”

Slipping your hand into his, you both scale the staircase and he follows the signs to his room; once inside, he flicks on the light and you move to sit on the bed. His room hasn't changed a bit; it looks exactly the same as last time. 

He heads to his closet, opening the doors to reveal a hanger that’s holding up a red coat with a black lapel, gold buttons and cuffs. There are also a pair of pale light trousers and black riding boots to complete the look.

“This is what I’m wearing to the party,” he says as you stand up and join his side.

“It's lovely. I should wear something that matches this then,” you utter and an image of a wine red dress with black heels springs in your mind. Maybe you could complete it by fastening a white corsage?

Leon blushes. “Um, yes, but it’s entirely up to you.”

“I still don’t know how to dance though.”

“Let’s practice now. Give me your hand.”

You feel anxious as you slip your hand into his; he holds it firmly then slips his other hand over your waist. You're standing very close together and you throw your glance around, wondering if there’s enough room in general and when you look at him, you notice he hasn’t looked away from you, his gaze pinned on your form.

“I’ll lead, starting with my left foot, so you should step back with your right,” he instructs, and you nod.

He steps forwards and you move backwards.

“That’s one step. Now I’ll step forwards with my right foot and you should step back with your left.”

You nod once more and you both complete the next step as he had outlined. Leon moves onto the third step and so forth. Soon, you have completed the simple steps and have shifted from the middle of the room to a corner near the desk, although you did step on his foot once or twice during the process.

“Sorry,” you say but he grins.

“It’s alright. You’re learning really quickly.”

“Thanks, I’ll practise more at home.”

“Just remember one-two-three.”

“Thanks for teaching me,” you reply, and Leon lets go of your hand to hold you by your waist.

“Um…should we practice now?” He asks shyly.

“Dancing?”

“No, not…uh, not dancing.”

His cheeks go pink again and you realise what he is talking about.

“Oh, right,” you reply, “yes, let’s practise."

"Should we sit down?" he suggests, "...the bed?"

You nod and together, you wordlessly climb over his bed, the mattress shifting under your combined weight as you sit opposite each other, cross-legged.

Your gazes meet and Leon's face soars to various shades of red as you clear your throat and you furl and unfurl your hands with trepidation, ready to begin. He watches you silently, his golden eyes glued to your form until he begins to lean forwards and you do the same until you are inches away from each other.

Leon drops his gaze to your lips before closing the gap, gently tilting your face up with his hand under your chin.

You blush from the action, closing your eyes as your lips finally meet. So much for practice, you think to yourself as Leon ravishes your mouth with his own; it’s a sloppier, needier kiss compared to last night and this morning, as though he's making up for the time you had spent apart. Leon presses his lips against you hungrily, deepening the kiss, and you’re not in the mood to correct him in any way.

Enjoying the feel of his mouth against yours, you kiss for what seems to be a long time and the room is quiet save for the sounds of your lips meeting and some light, muffled moans from the back of your throats. You move your arms to rest around the back of his neck, pecking him on the lips affectionately and he smiles against your mouth before encircling his arms around your waist and drawing you into his lap, capturing your mouth once again.

A polite knock on the door makes you both retreat in a span of a second, your hands untangling from each other.

“Hop!” Leon exclaims loudly whilst you pull down your shirt and adjust your hair.

Hop is grinning widely at you two and you cannot help but think how much he saw. “Pardon my intrusion, but your table is ready. If you’d kindly follow me, please.”

Leaving Leon’s room, Hop leads you downstairs, into the kitchen and towards the backdoor.

A nice aroma wafts in the kitchen, which is a chaotic mess; there’s a tower of dirty dishes sitting in the sink and all the hobs are occupied with all sorts of pots and pans. Leon’s mum is busy tidying up, but she shoots you a grin.

You step out of the house and into their back garden and you don’t see anything out of the ordinary until Hop flips a switch and the entire back garden flickers into life.

Their gazebo has been decorated with roses and fairy lights, along with a small two-seater table that has been carefully set up for you and Leon in the middle of the garden. The table is decorated with a candlestick and rose petals have been carefully scattered over the floor, lining the path.

Leon is stunned as you stand side-by-side; you let out a gasp of awe and Hop leads you to the table.

Hop pulls the seat out for you and as you sit down, thanking him, he presents you with a menu. Meanwhile, Wooloo throws a napkin over your lap and does the same for Leon.

You throw a quick glance to the Champion, who is obviously overwhelmed by the entirety of it all.

Inspecting the menu, it’s been written by Hop in his neatest handwriting and you see there are two options for starters and desserts and three choices of main course. Leon’s mum and Hop have really outdone themselves. He leaves you alone so you can go through the menu together.

“Leon, your family are so lovely,” you mutter, watching as his cheeks go pink, “this is amazing.”

“They know how difficult it is for me to be seen in public with someone, especially if we were to have dinner but I apologise if this is too much for you, I can ask them to tone it down," Leon replies.

“No, there’s no need. This is wonderful."

Hop returns with a little notebook and pen a few minutes later. “Are you ready to order?”

“Yes, we are, thank you,” you reply with a giggle, “I’ll have the salad for the starter and the fish for the main course.”

“Fine choice. Our fish is the most delicious in all of Galar and are simply sublime, madam,” Hop says with a grin. “And what would you like for dessert?”

“I’ll go for the tiramisu.”

“Fantastic. And for you, good sir?”

Leon gives his little brother a wide smile in response and orders the soup, steak and sorbet.

“Excellent choice, sir. It’s our chef’s specialty. And what would you like for drinks?”

“I’ll have a beer.”

“I’ll have water,” Leon says. Looks like he’s wanting to play safe.

“Very good. Thank you very much.” Hop collects your menus and returns to the kitchen with Wooloo.

As you wait for the food, you and Leon chat as Hop makes several trips to and from the kitchen; he sets a glass on the table filled with iced water along with your can of beer and promptly leaves, then re-emerges a few minutes later, balancing a plate and bowl in hands. It’s the soup and salad and Leon’s mum watches you through the window as Hops serves the starters.

“Bon appetit,” he says, kissing his fingers with a smack and you laugh as he bows and saunters away.

He joins his mother’s side in the kitchen, they exchange a high five, then they peer at the two of you outside, grinning hopefully.

You eat the salad quickly, growing nervous as you and Leon eat in this romantic candlelit setting. You’re aware of how close you are, that he’s watching you and suddenly you’re conscious of the way how you eat and also how handsome he is under the dim flickering light. When you look up, he's still looking at you and to calm your nerves, you take a few sips of your beer.

He inches his chair closer to yours and when the main course arrives, Leon’s mum suddenly steps outside, stops shortly in front of your table and does a little bow. She’s holding a bagpipe which she settles neatly into its proper position in her arms and she briefly explains that she will be tonight’s entertainment.

Clearing her throat, Leon’s mum takes a deep breath and begins to play, filling the garden with a loud but jaunty tune. You watch her cheeks puffing and her face seems to go a little red and when she’s finished, she wheezes slightly and wipes her forehead.

“Phew! I still have it in me…” she utters whilst you and Leon burst into applause. “Thank you, thank you, my dears…do enjoy the rest of your evening.”

She departs hastily after a bow so you can eat.

The evening progresses and Leon moves his chair even closer; you are sitting so close together he can place his hand over yours. And when the dessert arrives, you are so full you’re not sure if you can eat it but Leon’s mum had put so much effort in putting this dinner together just for you and Leon so you tuck in as much as possible despite your protesting stomach.

Hop eventually returns to clean up the plates once you’re finished, Leon wipes his mouth neatly with a napkin before rising from his seat and you look up at him expectantly as he offers you his hand.

“Would you like to dance?”

“I would love to,” you reply, slipping your hand into his with a smile.

He pulls you up onto your feet and leads you further into the gazebo, sliding his arm around your waist securely whilst you loop your arm over his shoulder as he had taught you; with your hand in his, he begins to lead you around the small space of the gazebo.

Recalling his earlier instructions, you repeat the mantra of ‘one-two-three’ in an attempt to match his steps and to your surprise, you’re able to keep up with him and also, you have barely made any errors.

“I think I’m getting the hang of this,” you mutter.

“You’re doing great," he replies, and you smile as you complete another circle around the gazebo together.

You wish this evening will never end.

…

**Meanwhile.**

In Wyndon, Graves relaxes at home in his robe and slippers. He is a busy man but it doesn’t mean he shouldn’t take some time off for himself every now and then for self-care.

And what a marvellous day today had been.

He had no problems, no issues at work. Everything had gone swimmingly and he had left the office in a good mood.

He didn’t think anything would ruin this day.

With his feet up on the table, he lounges in his leather recliner with a hot towel slapped over his face, eyes closed as soothing music plays in the background of his lounge.

“Ah, this is the life,” he mutters as he sinks into his plush armchair.

Suddenly, his phone hovers into the room, bobbing up and down by his shoulder. “Sir, you have a message from your god-daughter.”

“What is it? Read it out for me.”

“Yes, sir,” Rotom replies, before he says loudly, “I’m dating Leon. Thought you ought to know.”

Graves sits up properly, the towel peeling off his face and dropping over his lap.

“WHAT?”

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 “that’s a fine/damn good cup of coffee” - this is from twin peaks, I have never seen this show before but I know this is a quote from the main character.


	23. Frankie, Your Biggest Fan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leon meets Graves, you meet Hank. The fake pageant will be held tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 27.01.2021
> 
> Hi everyone, hope you're well! This fic got added to a collection recently and I wanted to say a massive thank you!!! I had no idea what a collection was in AO3 but I'm so very happy :3

**Frankie, Your Biggest Fan**

…

…

[“Life, which you look for, you will never find. For when the gods created man, they let death be his share, and life withheld in their own hands.”

\- The Epic of Gilgamesh]

…

…

…

There’s a knock on the door.

“Come in."

The door squeaks open and Graves hears footsteps in his office but he does not look up from his mountains of paperwork that requires his meticulous study; he continues rifling through the piles and piles of never-ending documents and signing off papers one after the other. He's already gone through a total of seventeen ballpoint pens. 

“Hello Chief Inspector Graves," says a young and suave voice. 

“Ah, yes, good morning Leon, thank you for coming,” the Chief Inspector manages one peek away from the files, his stoic, unamused gaze landing on Galar's heart-throb for a sparse moment before it's back to work.

Leon stands before him in that getup of his, consisting of the tight sport's shirt, leggings and cape which, in Graves' perspective, is nothing but a downright ridiculous marketing ploy courtesy of Chairman Rose and Macro Cosmos.

“Not even a second late,” Graves adds, casting a glance to his wristwatch next. “Impressive. Have a seat.”

Leon strides in, eases himself into a cushiony leather chair opposite his, and finally, Graves puts down his pen. The Champion has his full attention now, and there is a strained moment of silence as the two men regard each other silently.

“How can I help you, sir?"

“Don't get me wrong, this is not an interrogation session. It’s come to my attention that you’re dating my god-daughter.”

“Yes, sir. That’s correct.” 

Graves' expression doesn't quite change from the confirmation. “I see. That's fine. I know you’re a very responsible and promising young man with lots of potential. I know she’s in good hands…but I do expect you to show the same care and dedication to my god-daughter as you do towards your duties as Champion of Galar. If not, well…”

He grabs a pencil from his stationery tub; it’s purple and gold – god knows why he even has a purple pencil with this...interesting gold motif...but he has one anyway – and holding it between his thumb and index finger of his right hand, Graves begins to crush the pencil under his iron grip without blinking, without looking away from Leon.

As the wood and lead splinters, the room is filled with a loud _crack_ as it crumbles under his grip and Graves sprinkles the remnants of crushed pencil on the floor of his office.

Leon watches this display and nods. He got the message, and he got it good.

"Excellent. We understand each other." Graves says. “Come with me, Leon. I have something to show you.”

The Chief Inspector promptly rises from his seat and beckons Leon to follow him.

They leave the room, venturing down the busy, noisy corridor where a few officers passing by greet them respectively. Graves eventually leads Leon away from the hustle and bustle of the precinct and into a large crush hall where groups of young men and women huddle together in tables, chatting and laughing whilst some are having battles.

“This is where new cadets gather for their induction into the academy,” Graves explains as he watches the group with his arms held behind his back, “one day I hope to see her here. This is where her future should be. If you can, Leon, please help sway her mind. She won't listen to me. She's too fixated with certain matters which I'm sure you're familiar with by now. You must understand; it's meaningless."

"Inspector Graves, I don't believe it's meaningless," Leon replies.

"It is. The case was closed," Graves mutters, watching a few cadets in one corner show off their pokemon and their moves. "Before I left for Galar, they declared her parents and her sister officially deceased. No suspect was identified and there wasn't enough evidence so they stopped further investigation after a few months. Naturally, she took the investigation into her own hands without my knowledge and when Magnolia took her in, I had to follow her, just to keep a close eye on her. She's known to be rather reckless." 

Leon nods and Graves shifts uncomfortably on the spot, clearing his throat.

"Anyway, Leon, it would be greatly appreciated if you can talk some sense into her, since I can't. Please help her move on."

…

At Wyndon jail, you follow the guard to the visitor’s room where you are shown your cubicle, complete with a rickety old metal chair that has one leg shorter than the other three. You thank him, sit down on the wobbly chair provided and settle your bag on the floor whilst veering forwards and backwards, trying to find the perfect balance. You achieve successful synchronisation by lifting one heel whilst keeping your toes of the other foot pressed hard against the ground. Having sussed it out, you fish out your voice recorder and notepad, laying them neatly in front you.

In front of you is a grubby glass screen for your protection and an equally grungy plastic phone with twisted cord nailed to the wall. The prisoner you’re meant to be speaking to eventually stumbles in, donned in a paste-coloured jumpsuit and looking very weary, with bloodshot eyes and dark circles under his eyes. In person, he's even bulkier than you had thought, with those thick muscles and large hands.

With a heavy sigh, he shoves himself into the seat opposite yours and crosses his arms over his massive chest. He glances at you tiredly, you pick up the phone and he copies your movement.

“You must be Hank,” you say with the phone pressed against your ear, “I have a few questions about your relationship with Flora Warren.”

“Are you a journalist?” he grunts out.

“No, I’m not a journalist but I am looking into Flora’s death. If you talk to me, I promise I’ll find out the truth.”

A silence follows your words and Hank’s expression dissolves into a look of unconcealed astonishment. You return his beguiled stare with an impassive gaze of your own.

Perplexed for a minute, Hank rubs his dry mouth and five o’clock shadow and rests his elbows over the surface of the table, apparently in deep thought. Biting down on his lip, he shakes his head for a minute before abruptly bursting into heartfelt sobs.

“It wasn’t me. Oh god, it wasn’t me! I-I didn't kill her! She was my girlfriend, I loved her -- please… _please help me_!”

“Tell me what happened,” you reply in response as he wails and babbles, opening your notepad and grabbing your pen, clicking it.

He weeps for a while which you sit out though you’re conscious of time and he finally regains his composure, reduced to a hiccupping, red-eyed mess as he tearfully dabs at his eyes.

Snorting and sniffling, Hank blearily chokes out, “…Well, we were going to meet at the Watchtower Ruins that night.”

“At what time?” you utter, scribbling down bullet points. 

“About seven pm,” he croaks. “When I arrived, I was kind of far away because the taxi dropped me off nearer the city because I….you know, wanted to save money and I could just walk over but when I saw her…she was propped up against the wall and I thought she looked a little weird. I thought she was sleeping or something…but that’d be a weird place to sleep, right? So I called out to her but she didn’t reply and it was only when I went over and saw....god, she was dead.”

“Can you describe what she looked like when you found her?”

“Yeah, she was bruised all over and she had blood from her mouth. Her head was bent. In fact, her head was smashed in. It was so...so fucked up, man,” he splutters, shaking his head and cursing under his breath as he recalls the terrifying visage that was his girlfriend’s corpse.

“Did you see anyone else in the area? Gym challengers, pokemon?”

He ponders, then shakes his head. “No, there were no pokemon in the grass and I didn’t see anyone else...”

“What happened next?”

“I got hit,” he demonstrates by turning round in his seat and tracing a circle on the back of his head with his finger to show you. “Somewhere around here. I blacked out, woke up to see the cops around me and then I was brought in. I told them what happened but they think it’s me, I mean….”

He looks at his hands.

“...I use fighting type pokemon, right?” he moans, “and I trained in Stow-on-side. My best move is a chokehold and when facing against opponents, I'm known to be brutal, I’ve never hit her, alright? I’ve never laid a finger on her.”

You scribble down, nodding. Hank lets out another dreary sigh and meets your gaze sadly.

“I swear it wasn’t me.”

“Why did she ask you to meet her that night?”

“I thought we were going to discuss some stuff. We were gonna leave Galar,” he replies and you pause in your writing, your interest piqued, “she was done with them. The pageants, I mean. She didn’t hate them but she was over it. She told me she outgrew them. She said this year’s Miss Galar would be the last pageant she’d ever compete in and then she’d move on. She didn’t care if she won or lost. We were talking about moving to Kanto. Her little sister’s attending boarding school there. She wanted to see her. Flora was looking forward to seeing her so, so much.”

"...Did you or Flora tell anyone about this plan? To leave Galar?"

He looks unsure. "I didn't tell anyone, but I'm not sure about Flora."

Before you can ask any further questions, an attendant comes to pick you up, indicating that the session comes to an end and you thank Hank for his time.

“ _Hey_ ,” his shout is muffled behind the glass as a guard escorts him out. “ _You’re gonna help me, right?_ ”

“I’ll do my best,” you reply.

The meeting with Hank has imposed more questions than answers.

…

The fake pageant will be held tonight.

You had purposely chosen the date Leon had proposed since his schedule was harder to match compared to everyone else (who were relatively free) and you had already sent details such as the time and location to those who would be attending – Jace, Sonia, Leon, Volkner and Frankie.

Sonia and Leon’s assistance were secured prior and Jace informed you that Volkner had agreed to help because, in these exact words, he had 'nothing better to do' ...which you suppose is a good thing.

Jace is the first to arrive for you had asked him to come to the lab a couple of hours earlier than the others to help with the set-up, and he’s brought all his equipment and gear with him in a large black duffle bag which he settles on the floor.

As you fix him a cup of tea, he curiously peers around the wide space of the lab.

“So…uh…is Sonia here yet?” Jace asks; you notice his hair is neatly combed and he’s also wearing far more fashionable clothes compared to the usual sweater and denims.

“No, she’s not. She’ll be arriving at four.”

“Oh. Okay. Uh…Never mind. And uh, Leon and Volkner will be coming later?"

"Yep. Um, about Leon, I have something to tell you."

"What?"

You take a deep breath. It's time, and it's now or never, so you say, "We're together."

Jace's response is delayed until he exclaims a shocked, " _What!_ " in a similar manner to Sonia. "Really?"

You nod vigorously in a bid to convince him and he gapes at you in disbelief. "...Wow. I mean, obviously that's...that's grand, chuck. Who'd have thought? You and the _Champion of Galar_... well, I'm happy for you. Did you tell Graves yet?"

Jace isn't prying you for further information, which you are grateful for. 

"I messaged him."

"Alright, but you should probably tell him in person too just in case."

You agree, and he asks you some more questions about you and Leon. With that out of the way, your relationship with Leon is not mentioned again. Jace is your friend and a very good one, but you're aware of how he feels towards the Champion; whilst he respects Leon, you had always known he was a little on the fence with him and he was rather cautious. 

"Anyway,” he claps his hands together, “what did you want me to work on, chuck?”

“Here, look at this,” you hand him a rolled up blueprint which he unfurls to its full size, revealing a sketch you had made of the interior of the lab; you had also briefly drawn a catwalk, two tables and outlined where the lights should be. “I was thinking of a spotlight over here and one over there. We can set up some speakers too. What do you think?”

“Mm-hmm,” Jace says, nodding to himself as he inspects your layout, “I got it. I know exactly what to do. Leave it to me.”

“Thanks Jace!”

“Hehe, you’re most welcome.”

You let him work and as you retreat to your desk, there is a loud knocking on the door and you hurriedly head over, opening it to reveal Frankie who is carrying a large cardboard box in her arms with Sylveon at her side.

“Hi!” she greets you cheerfully.

“Hi Frankie, come in. Do you need help with that?”

“Nope, I’m fine thanks! Where should I put it?”

“Over here is good.”

"Thanks."

"Any problems coming in?"

"Nope!" She carries the box over to your desk. Opening the flaps, she reveals Flora’s possessions and props within that were meant to be worn and used for the pageant.

“Wow,” you croak out, lifting out a silky ribbon from the very top of the pile that says ‘Miss Motostoke’. “Is this everything?”

“Yep!"

“Did you get permission from your mother?”

“Yes,” she squeaks out, after some hesitation, “but um…we need to return it by the end of the night…maybe nine o’clock…? Or-or else she’ll be angry.”

You turn to her with hands on your hips. Frankie nervously meets your eyes then hastily looks away, guilt scribbled all over her face. It’s obvious she is lying but you guess it cannot be helped; the pageant is tonight and she’s done as you had asked.

“Alright, I’m sure the pageant won’t go until nine pm anyway and we’ll return these before your mum finds out. Thank you,” you reply, and Frankie beams in response.

“So what’s the breakdown?”

“The pageant will start at seven. I’ve already asked the professor for permission to convert the lab into a mini stage and we’ll set up some tables and chairs for the judges. I’ve asked several people to help out, namely Leon, Volkner and Sonia. They’re fine with it.”

Frankie blinks blankly. “I know who Leon is, but who are the other two?”

“Volkner was a guest judge for the beauty pageant, and Sonia’s like my sister. She’s also great at makeup and doing hair.”

“Nice!"

Throwing your glance to Jace, who is busy unpacking his bag with Joltik’s help, you quickly bring her over and introduce her and Sylveon to him. “Frankie, this is Jace, he’ll be our lighting assistant.”

“Oh, hi there! Nice to meet you,” Jace says; Joltik is perched on his shoulder with a few screws stuck to his fuzzy body. “I’m sorry about your sister.”

Frankie appears bashful and merely nods meekly in response. 

“You did the right thing, going to chuck for help. She’s amazing,” Jace adds, and Frankie exchanges glances between you and Jace before nodding once again.

They shake hands; he reassures you he’ll have everything ready in time so you leave Jace and Joltik alone. Jace is really handy and certainly a jack of all trades.

Without further ado, you and Frankie return to your desk where it’s time to go through what Frankie has brought for you though she’s rather enthusiastic to have set foot in the lab.

“This is where you conduct research, right?” she says giddily, looking left and right before she spots a black device sitting on your chair. “Oooh, it’s your radio! You always take that with you on your cases!”

“Yes.”

"Is it true it only works on one frequency and it can pick up ghosts?"

"Yeah-"

"Oh wow! So cool!"

She continues pointing out random artifacts and devices you’ve amassed or utilised in your cases which you’ve displayed on your desk and as she gestures and hoots wildly with glee, a small smile worms over your face.

In some way... she reminds you of Rosie.

“And this is the Khira dagger?! Whoa! It’s shinier in person! What’s it doing here??” she’s about to reach for it but you stop her immediately.

“Ah, wait. Please don’t touch it."

She retreats at once. “Sorry…”

“It’s okay, it’s my mentor’s, so…” you scoop the dagger into your hand and slip it into your pocket for the time being. When you rejoin her side, you notice she's peering inquisitively at your books. 

"I read your books too! Especially your camping adventures in the Wild Area! You met so many interesting pokemon and documented everything! I loved the part when you found a bunch of Mimikyu and held a Mimikyu focus group and helped them repair their costumes and then there was that time when you helped those farmers who were haunted by Gourgeists at night only to discover they were being possessed by evil spirits from the marshes."

"Ah, yeah, that one wasn't very pleasant..."

"Yeah, I can imagine! And, uh...by the way," she says. "When you started researching, you were interviewing people who said they could see ghosts or had experienced supernatural phenomena but you just found out they were either faking it or elaborate hoaxes so you concentrated on studying ghost pokemon…and I think you researched most of them but I noticed you didn’t do anything on Dusknoir…is there a reason why?”

You grow still.

“Do you not like Dusknoir?"

"...It's not that, I couldn't find them easily," you reply stonily.

"Did you think about asking for one in a trade?"

"No."

Sensing your animosity from your curt answers when it came to Dusknoir, Frankie clams up. "Um...One time, your book got this one star review saying you were a heretic and that your theories were full of blasphemy, so I went on and sent a comment telling that person to shut the fu-"

"Okay, thanks, Frankie..."

"Don't mention it! I really wanna help in any way I can!"

“You’re really interested in this stuff, aren’t you?”

“Of course!!!!”

It may be worth asking.

“…Do you want to learn how to deal with evil spirits? Would that be of interest to you?”

Frankie blinks wide-eyed at you. “Right now?”

“Oh, no, not right now…just…if you ever wanted to, that’s all.”

“Well, it never really crossed my mind but it would be really cool. I could help so many people, just like how you do. What would I learn though?”

“Everything,” you say, “I can teach you everything.”

“Ooooh, okay, well, I’ll let you know!”

She gives you a huge smile and Sylveon purrs loudly by her side. Again, you’re thoroughly reminded of Rosie.

“Frankie, how have you always seen ghosts? How did you even know they were ghosts?”

She emits a sigh and flings her glance to the ceiling. “Well, I would always see these people, right? But they’re transparent and...um, it's kind of hard to explain but-"

“Their mouths don’t move?” 

Frankie gawks at you for a second or so, then nods furiously. “Yeah! Aww man, this is so cool!!!! I…I mean, I never…thought I’d talk about this kind of stuff with someone who’d understand. My mum took me to a therapist when I was young and she thought I was stark-raving mad and at school everyone called me a freak or-or a weirdo or a-“

"Kook?"

"Yeah!"

As Frankie rambles, you watch her speak; her brows raise and her eyes widen for added gesture and effect… her words departing with such depth and heartfelt, raw emotion that comes deep within the heart.

You nod in response. “I understand exactly how you feel.”

You’re just a few years ahead of her, that’s all.

“When I got older, I stopped talking about it completely,” Frankie says, “I still see them but I just ignore them. I act like I don't see them. Their appearances don’t frighten me anymore, either. I don't think I really care. I’ve seen it all. To be honest, I think I’m kind of numb inside.”

She finishes with a half-hearted shrug.

_Numb._

You instinctively curl your hand into a tight fist. “And do they ever talk to you?”

“They tried, but I didn’t understand them and I couldn't really help them. It really makes me think about what happens after you die..."

"Well, there are plenty of theories. Some people move on immediately, others stay behind."

Frankie nods. "Do you think when someone passes away and 'moves on', God will be there and he'll show you everything you've done or achieved in your life and if you were good, you'll be allowed to go into heaven and if you were evil you'll go to hell? Or do you think you'll be told that it's actually a never-ending loop and you'll have to relive, go through everything that's happened and do it again and again?"

"...Those are some pretty deep questions, Frankie. I do have some theories but I can't possibly share all of them with you right now. You should come by the lab whenever you're free so we can talk more about this, if it helps."

"Okay!" 

"Did you ever try to find out why you could see ghosts?"

"No, I always thought I was just born different."

You shake your head. "You're wrong. There is a reason. My sister and I can see ghosts. My sister was very attuned compared to me. I'm more of a late bloomer, and I'm not quite there yet but I have my mentor and he helped me understand and use my gift better. Now I can help people, people like you."

"Gift?" Frankie says, before she smiles widely at you and says, "Gift! I like the sound of that."

You cannot help but smile, nodding.

With that, the conversation dies down, with Jace working noisily in the background.

“Right, let’s have a look at what you’ve brought for me," you say as you grab a clipboard and a pen; you have a checklist and you will both go through the contents together and the first item you fish out is a swimsuit.

It’s glittery as hell, flimsy and the colour is hot red, which makes you cringe.

“Oh,” you say, whilst Frankie giggles. You cannot picture yourself wearing this at all. You put it to the side and tick off a box on your list. “…Swimsuit, check.”

Preparing a beauty pageant for a single (and dead) contestant was harder than you realized.

The next item you grab is a pair of high heels. The heel itself is criminally thin. You use a measuring tape to measure the height; it is roughly one hundred millimeters. The shoe itself is incredibly sparkly all over and millennium silver. You’ve never worn heels as high as these before and certainly have no clue how you are going to wear these even if Flora is going to possess you.

You and Frankie exchange gazes; no words are required to be said, Frankie places it to the side and you tick off another box.

“Shoes, check.”

Next up, the dress that was on display on the mannequin is pulled out, albeit wrapped up lovingly and carefully in a plastic pouch.

“Be careful with that,” Frankie warns.

“I will,” you reply, “is this the dress she was going to wear for the crowning ceremony?”

“Yep.”

You tick off another box and pick out another dress. This dress is also red and flowy; it’s acceptable but you despise the low cut. “How many dresses is she supposed to wear?”

“Five, I think.”

You’ve ticked off the swimsuit, the shoes, the dress for the crowning. The flowy red dress must be for the individual city showcase.

“Motostoke is known to be an industrial city and the gym leader is also a fire-type, so Flora made a point to wear a lot of red,” Frankie explains.

“Yo, how’re you ladies getting on?” Jace says as he waltzes over, pulling off his work gloves. “What’s all this?”

“It’s what I’m going to wear tonight….”

He takes a good look at the pieces and raises a brow. “Well, duckie, I... uh, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear red before.”

“Yeah, it’s not really my colour – wait, why is there a cheerleading uniform?” you ask, lifting out a skimpy-looking white and red cropped top and pink skirt complete with spanky pants. There are even two red pom poms inside.

“Her talent was a cheerleading skit.”

You deadpan at once.

“Wait, maybe I got it wrong,” Frankie utters, rubbing her chin.

 _Thank the lord_ , you think, _it’s something else_.

“It's coming back to me now. Oh yeah, it was actually a violin recital." She pulls out a case from deep within the box which you didn't see before. 

“That's great, let’s put the cheerleading outfit over there to the 'unused pile'. And take these pom poms too,” you hurriedly hand the props and the skimpy pieces to Frankie who folds them with the swimsuit.

Jace returns to resume his work and you tick off ‘talent costume/prop’ and finally arrive at ‘tiara’ and ‘ribbon’.

“Did you bring it, Frankie?”

“I sure did,” she replies with a huge grin, delving into her bag and bringing out a beautiful and glistening, but rather old-fashioned silver tiara with a pink jewel in the middle along with a satin ribbon that says ‘Miss Galar’; the date on the ribbon indicates it was won roughly twenty years ago.

“That’s your mother’s tiara, right?”

Frankie cradles it to her chest. “Yeah. It’s the only Miss Galar Beauty Pageant she won so…please be careful. Please please pleeeeeeease be careful with that. I can’t stress that enough.”

“We’ll be careful,” you reply, and it looks like that’s everything you need for the pageant. “Great, everything is accounted for.”

“What do we do now?”

“Let’s move some tables out of the way,” you say, rolling your sleeves up and Frankie does the same.

She helps you shove some tables and desks into the corner but Jace quickly dashes in to help; together, you spend at least an hour or so moving some of the furniture away and prop them against the wall, and as per the blueprint, you set up two tables and chairs for Leon and Volkner in the area where the stage is meant to be and take out the scoring sheets you had printed off and leave them out on the desk, along with some pens.

Jace finishes fixing up the curtains and the lights and soon, the lab has been fully converted into a mini stage.

You stand together, glancing at the lab-turned-stage. A ‘doorway’ quickly pieced together by Jace has been set up in the middle of the lab with curtains which Jace can operate using a toggle from the side.

A red carpet has been rolled out in front of it and at the very end, another red carpet has been laid out horizontally so it resembles a T, the same layout that was used for the actual Miss Galar pageant.

“I’ve outdone myself,” Jace says.

“This looks amazing!!!” Frankie exclaims.

You nod in agreement. The lab looks perfect. "Thanks Jace."

"No problem!"

There are still a few hours left, so you, Jace and Frankie head to the kitchenette to make yourselves some cups of coffee for a quick break, sitting together in the table to discuss the pageant.

“Frankie, question for you: when did your mum stop participating in beauty pageants and why?”

“Um, she stopped when she had me and after our dad left us.”

“That must’ve been painful for her.”

“It was, but it didn’t stop her from encouraging Flora to participate in beauty pageants.”

“I see,” you reply, “were you aware that Flora was planning to leave Galar with her boyfriend? They wanted to go to Kanto, to see you.”

She blinks wide-eyed, stunned by the revelation. “N-no. No, I didn't know that.” She hurriedly settles her cup down, staring into her drink.

"Did you know her boyfriend?"

She shakes her head. "No, I never knew Hank, never spoke to him. He looks like a right tool though. I can't believe Flora would've liked someone like him."

A brief silence swamps the lab.

“....This is actually harder than I thought,” she squeaks and you see the corner of her eyes are prickled with tears. “E-excuse me.”

She swiftly leaves the table after gathering Sylveon in her arms but you see the tears streaming down her eyes and over her cheeks as she passes you, exiting the lab altogether, hugging her pokemon tightly to herself. Jace watches her, then flicks his glance to you.

“Everything alright, duckie?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“What’s all this about anyway?”

“I’ll show you,” you utter, getting up from your seat and heading to the whiteboard you’ve moved to a corner. Jace follows, watching as you gesture to Hank’s mugshot.

“And who’s this lovely fellow?”

“That’s Hank, Flora’s boyfriend and murderer. I spoke to him this morning. He claims he was framed. He said he received a message from her around seven pm, asking him to meet her in the Watchtower Ruins. They were planning to leave Galar. She was fed up with pageants. When he got there, he saw that she was already dead. Someone hit him on the back of the head and when he woke up, he was surrounded by cops.”

“That is total B.S.,” Jace says, frowning as he crosses his arms. “If she was fed up with pageants, why is competing in a pageant her last wish? How will it help her move on?”

“Because what she was going to do _after_ the pageant is her ultimate goal. The pageant is her last hurdle; afterwards, she would be able to leave with Hank and see Frank. The investigation’s ongoing but I've also factored in their mother, who is an ex-beauty pageant queen. She stopped competing when she gave birth to Frankie and her husband left her, but obviously she wants Flora to continue her legacy. She’s been training Flora to follow in her footsteps and Flora had enough, and if she found out Flora wanted to leave Galar-”

“You really don’t rule anyone or anything out, do you?”

“I can’t. Not for something like this.”

“So…is she scot-free?”

“I didn't have enough time to check out her alibi.”

“Well, Hank could’ve been lying to you, desperate to pin the murder on someone else.”

“Who else would want Miss Motostoke dead?”

“Maybe she was unfortunate and crossed paths with a lunatic.”

“True…”

“You could investigate the other contestants,” Jace suggests, shrugging. “Maybe they were insanely jealous of her. Maybe Hank was cheating on her with another contestant and she found out so he killed her to stop her from telling the truth!”

“That’s some pretty crazy theories you got there, Jace, but you’re not wrong,” you utter. “Let’s just get the pageant out of the way first, then see what happens.”

…

The fake pageant is creeping closer and closer and you’re rather nervous.

Ezra arrives with Absol and his white cane; though you have never seen him utilize it, he taps his way into the lab. Absol is also wearing a harness, under the guise as a guide pokemon, but you're also aware he doesn't need Absol to know where he's going either.

You’ve asked him to keep an eye out on things to which he has agreed to. You introduce him to Frankie and he greets Jace, then he makes his way over to one of the couches, drops over it and sleeps with Absol curled up beside him.

Sonia arrives half an hour later, being your makeup artist and all. Jace immediately clams up when she arrives and stares as she steps inside, closing the door behind her with Yamper under one arm and a huge bag hanging off her other shoulder.

“Hello! I’m here!” she exclaims, and you hurry over to her and you both hug.

“Thanks for coming, Sonia.”

She giggles, twirling her hair in her fingers, looping them around and around and then she spots Jace in the corner with his large work gloves, goggles and tools. “Oh, hi Jace.”

“H-h-hi Sonia,” he squeaks out. "Y-you look great today."

Sonia giggles at Jace’s change in demeanour and he blushes when she thanks him and tells him he looks great too. You quickly show her the lab layout and introduce her to Frankie whilst Jace continues staring at her from the background, frozen. You hand her the script and a microphone which you fetch from the desk, handing it to her.

“Thanks again.”

“No problem, let’s get you made up.” She steers you into the lab’s bathroom along with Frankie, Sylveon and Yamper as your assistants. “What kind of look are we going for tonight?”

She unzips her bag, revealing a whole variety of cosmetics within. Grabbing a makeup brush in hand, she twirls it around with her fingers with hypnotic, expert flair.

“Dramatic and fiery!” Frankie yells, “fierce like a flame! Burn with the intensity of a thousand suns!!! Motostoke forever!”

Sonia giggles in response. “Gotcha.”

An hour later, and two young men arrive outside the lab; it’s Leon and Volkner. 

“Volkner,” says Leon.

“Leon,” Volkner replies.

Both men stare at each other for a moment or so until Leon smiles politely and the corner of Volkner’s lips tugs upwards into a smirk. They nudge the door open and enter the building; there is only one individual inside, working on a spotlight in the corner.

It’s Jace.

“Volkner, you’re here! Sir Champion too!” he exclaims; he abandons his work to head over and they greet the blond.

“Where is she?” Leon and Volkner ask simultaneously before they exchange glances at each other, stunned.

“Oh, uh…chuck’s inside with Sonia. Why don’t you wait for her here?” Jace says, gesturing to their tables.

“Thanks, Jace.”

They glance around at the setup, the tables and the newly fixed spotlights before they seat themselves down and a while later, the door to the bathroom squeaks open and Leon spots Sonia emerging. You follow her out, donned in a dressing robe and Leon's eyes immediately lands on your form.

“Leon!” Sonia exclaims, making her way over to the group.

“Hey Sonia,” he greets her, but he’s still staring at your direction. 

The lab has never been so lively before. You didn’t think you’d be surrounded by so many people either but here they are. There’s Jace, Volkner, Sonia…Leon…and Ezra, who is still fast asleep on the couch. It appears no-one has even noticed his presence yet.

Frankie elbows you, snapping you out of your thoughts.

“Are you okay?” she whispers.

“I’m fine, let’s go over.”

As you approach, everyone turns and looks at you.

“Doesn’t she look breathtaking?” Sonia gushes, planting her hands on your shoulders as she steers you closer to the group; she’s so proud of her work but you cannot help but feel timid.

You swallow down. “H-hi Leon, hi Volkner."

Jace, Volkner and Leon proceed to look at you from head to toe and you anxiously bite down on your lip; Sonia is oblivious, smiling widely to herself, proud of her skills and the outcome. You’ve always trusted Sonia, but this makeover must be something else because everyone cannot stop staring.

“Thanks for coming,” you utter, swallowing slightly. “...Well...Everyone’s here.”

You didn't actually think it would happen, but it is.

“Who’s that?” Volkner asks, gesturing to Ezra.

“My mentor. He’s sleeping, so uh…it’s best not to disturb him. And, um…could you please excuse me for a moment…I’ll be right back. Leon, can I quickly talk to you?”

“Sure.” 

You grab his hand and from the corner of your eye, Volkner glances at your direction, glancing at your joined hands. You lead Leon to the corner where the whiteboard is, away from the group.

As you finally relax, exhaling loudly, Leon stands close to you, brushing his thumb over your knuckles.

“Are you okay?” he murmurs.

"I'm fine," you pick up a small hand mirror off your desk, peering at your reflection and hair.

Your hair has been brushed thoroughly until it’s smooth and shiny and Sonia has curled your hair into loose waves tumbling over your shoulders. She’s brushed your lids with smoky eyeshadows, your eyes outlined in a cat’s eye style, the winged tips a sleek and glossy black, and your cheeks have been contoured and blushed with tones that compliment your skin, whilst your lips are painted with a plum red.

“Oh…my….god,” you croak out whilst Leon smiles, chuckling. "I look like a totally different person."

He rubs the back of his neck and says, “I have to admit, I was not expecting this."

“Me either. I mean, look at me. Never mind, this is for Frankie and Flora. I'm doing this for them. Um, Leon, what’s going to happen next….. Well, you’ll see me but it’s not really me. I apologise in advance if it upsets you or if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“I understand.” He quickly leans over and pecks you on the cheek, then retreats hastily, his cheeks glowing pink.

You blush heavily in response, squeezing his hand affectionately. "...How was your day anyway?"

“It was fine, I spoke to Inspector Graves this morning,” he replies. "He really hopes you will join the police academy."

Emitting a heavy sigh, you wave a hand dismissively. "I'm not surprised."

"Heeeey, don't mean to interrupt but it's seven pm now!" exclaims Jace, and you and Leon subsequently return to the group.

It’s time for the performance and everyone seems to have settled down. Leon and Volkner take their seats at the table and Sonia picks up the microphone and script. Frankie grabs Sylveon and Yamper and nestles herself on one of the chairs provided. Jace, with a remote in hand, begins to dim the lights, coating the lab in darkness except from the single spotlight which is focused on you.

You stand on the catwalk, unable to shake off the feeling as to how surreal and bizarre this entire situation is. Throwing a quick glance to the couch where Ezra is sleeping, you steel your nerves and take a deep breath.

“Thank you for coming tonight. I cannot stress how grateful I am for everyone’s cooperation."

The crowd are bathed in darkness and you cannot really see anyone or anything.

“As you are aware, I’m currently working on a case. I’m going to let a spirit possess me and we’re going to reenact the Miss Galar Beauty Pageant to help her move on. I implore you to keep an open mind, but I must warn you in advance that this may feel strange and bizarre, and you may be disturbed but I assure you, you’re safe, I won’t be harmed and I want to help this poor girl and her family find peace.”

You gesture to Frankie in the corner who meekly waves at the group. “Yes, thank you. Thank you for helping me…”

“Sonia is going to be the MC for tonight. We will cover every competition that was in the beauty pageant and I would like the judges to mark their scores on the forms provided. This is a procedure we will stick to in order to make it as accurate as possible. A crowning ceremony will also take place at the very end.”

“Understood,” Leon replies, and Volkner nods.

“This is for Flora,” you say, “Flora Warren of Motostoke. Let the pageant commence.”

Without further ado, you turn round and disappear behind the curtain where you come face to face with Flora.

" _Thank you_ ," she says.

"You're welcome," you reply.

She moves towards you, and everything goes dark.

…


	24. Haunted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fake pageant reveals the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 02.02.2021
> 
> Early update woot! I find this chapter quite disturbing, not in blood/gore/scary way, but a wholly different kind O_O

**Haunted**

…

…

[“Laugh, and the world laughs with you;  
Weep, and you weep alone."

\- Solitude, Ella Wheeler Wilcox]

…

…

Leon sits at the table, wondering what to expect.

He isn’t really sure and he watches the rustling red curtain worriedly as Jace presses a button on his remote and the spotlight moves to shine on the drapes and the same music from the pageant’s opening ceremony begins playing.

He spares Volkner a quick glance; the gym leader is immobile, sitting in his seat with pen in hand over the paper, watching.

Leon passes a glance to Sonia and Jace next.

They look a little perturbed.

Frankie looks nervous too, sitting with Sylveon and Yamper squashed in her arms.

Meanwhile, Ezra snores on the sofa, the music drowning him out.

The curtains rustle again and are promptly pulled apart and you step out.

Leon stares, eyes wide. His hand goes limp, the pen almost falling out of his grip; you look….different.

He’s not the only one. Sonia is also gaping in shock, astounded by the difference in persona which is so glaringly obvious. Jace too, is severely spooked, gawking with eyes as large as saucers.

You’ve turned into a completely different person.

With a wide smile that reaches your ears, you have emerged in a swimsuit and high heels.

He hasn’t seen you wear so little clothing before. In fact, he’s used to seeing you in your long coat, oversized sweaters, cardigans or something… _anything_ that was baggy and casual. He’s used to seeing you in bland, neutral colours with little or no makeup. He’s never seen you so dolled up, dressed up in such bold and bright colours and so exposed before.

He inwardly gulps as you begin to stroll down the aisle with the confidence and grace of a catwalk model, taking long strides in your heels, rehearsing the routine in tune to the music.

Except it’s not really you.

Keeping to her schedule, Sonia begins the introduction, clearing her throat and with script in hands, holding the microphone close to her mouth, “And give it up for the lovely Flora Warren who is here today to represent Motostoke!!!” she exclaims as enthusiastically as possible, but when she’s finished, she lowers the microphone, her lip wobbling with worry.

You parade over the red carpet, waving and smiling, oblivious.

Reading from the script, Sonia says, “Miss Motostoke is twenty years old this year. She is currently a full-time arts student at Hammerlocke University and her hobbies include dressmaking, flower arranging and volunteering at the local pokemon shelter! Her mother is an ex-beauty pageant queen with a five-year win streak and she’s hoping to carry on their legacy if she wins tonight. Good luck to you, Miss Motostoke.”

Following Sonia’s introduction, you wave to the dark audience, blowing kisses and still wearing that rehearsed smile on your face. You’re smiling so widely your cheeks are bunched together so high, your eyes creasing until they have turned into slits. It’s time to head to the left so with a hand on your hip, you head over – it's Leon’s side – and he stiffens as you look at him but your gaze is empty and not belonging to you.

You blow him a kiss and wave, a little flirtatiously, waggling your fingers.

Sonia laughs awkwardly, trying to masquerade it as much as possible. “Oh! What a bold gesture! I wonder what our judge Leon is thinking of?” she outlines, as you leave his side and head to the right where Volkner is.

The gym leader stares at you impassively and writes down his score, unaffected by your demeanour.

Leon glances at Volkner, inwardly wishing he did not get the opportunity to see you so scantily clad like this. Not just Volkner, but Jace too. This pageant is a bad idea and he is uncomfortable with this, as you had predicted. He tries not to let this revelation eat at him, though his chest clenches tightly with discomfort.

When the music is almost over, you return to the middle of the catwalk to perform one last twirl before returning to the curtain, standing in front of it. This should be the part where all the contestants did a synchronised dance and Leon watches as you perform the moves. 

The music ends and after giving the miniscule crowd one last wave, you smile and vanish behind the curtain.

Leon’s gut comes undone and he pens in his score for the opening act, not that he really has an idea on how to grade you for this.

Jace blinks blankly the entire time, wondering to himself what in the name of Arceus he had just witnessed.

Frankie clutches the pokemon to herself, the colour drained from her face.

Sonia also appears disturbed, exhaling shakily before moving on to the next act.

It’s question time and you reappear in the swimsuit; Leon is certainly not used to seeing you wearing so little clothing and when you stride over to Sonia, he sees the smooth curve of your ass as you twirl and shift your weight onto one foot for a pose and he harrumphs into his fist, realising it is about to get worse.

Sonia stands at the catwalk with the microphone whilst you join her side, standing with your hand on your hip. In heels, you are taller than her an inch or so.

“Good evening, Flora,” Sonia says, a little reservedly.

“Good evening, Miss Sonia,” you reply, with that never-ending smile plastered on your face.

She hesitates: your voice has changed to a high-pitched, flirty, girlish tone.

“W-well…” she eyeballs the script briefly. “H-how does it feel to be on stage tonight?”

“Simply wonderful! It’s a dream come true!” you gush, uncharacteristically so.

Sonia is struggling to keep a straight face and to minimize her stammering. “Great, let’s move onto the questions then! Our first question for tonight is: Please do tell us something about yourself.”

“Yes, of course, I’d love to,” you speak clearly and confidently; Leon and Sonia cannot help but stare. Oblivious to them, you smile sweetly and say, “I am an embodiment of a new meaning of life. My purpose here is to find the meaning and to fulfill it. This platform is one of my steps towards reaching my goal for this destiny, which I will decide.”

“What an excellent, well-thought answer!” Sonia replies as the crowd claps in response.

You giggle and do a little curtsy, knocking one leg against the other. 

She moves onto the next question. “And what would you say is the biggest problem facing our educational system, and why?”

“That is a fantastic question, Miss Sonia, and my reply is this: the biggest problem our educational system faces is that it believes it’s a system. A system is a set arrangement of things. However, education means to impart knowledge by giving and taking to empower the uneducated. This has been forgotten in the process of being a system, which needs to be learned once more.”

“Miss Motostoke, here is our final question: what do you expect to gain by participating in pageants and why?”

“By being a part of these pageants, I expect to gain an opportunity to discover my strengths and perfect them, realise my weaknesses and transform them into strengths and take home the crown.”

“Thank you, Flora. That’s all the questions for tonight.”

“Thank you.”

Sonia returns to face the audience as Leon, Volkner, Jace and Frankie erupts into applause once again and Leon writes down his score.

The night wears on until finally, it’s time for the crowning.

Frankie steps in and gathers the scoresheets off Leon and Volkner, handing them to Sonia. She checks it briefly before returning to the script; Flora is supposed to win anyway and as Sonia head to the stage. The music shifts to a drumroll, courtesy of Jace.

You emerge in the ruby red dress which glimmers brightly under the spotlight and stand behind her a short distance away.

Sonia reads out the scores, where an imaginary third and second runner up are announced.

“And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for,” she announces, “who will be this year’s Miss Galar???”

You stand in the back, clutching your hands together with your eyes squeezed shut, holding your breath.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this year's Miss Galar Beauty Pageant is.........." Sonia leaves her sentence trailing for dramatic effect, “Miss Motostoke!”

You shriek with joy, leaping up and down on the spot.

“Give it up for Miss Motostoke!!! Congratulations!!!”

Slapping a hand over your mouth, you’re beginning to cry, thick tears oozing from the corner of your eyes.

Jace switches the sound effect to a fanfare then abandons the remote control to sprint over to the stage. He climbs up a ladder he has propped up where a basket full of confetti has been set up neatly on the top step. He promptly grabs a fistful and promptly tosses it over you as per your guidance.

As you squeal happily, a chair adorned with fancy red cushions is your ‘throne’ and it’s your final destination, a meaningful end to the night; you stride over, seating yourself with the precision and grace of a queen. You wave blindly to the crowd in the dark, smiling.

Next, Jace climbs down the ladder and abruptly tears off his sweater, revealing that he’s wearing a white shirt, suit jacket and tie underneath which he hastily adjusts before Frankie hands him the tiara and sash on a velvet cushion.

He tidies his hair and clothes before he strides over with the awards, presenting them to you.

You gasp with delight, pressing a hand to your chest, yet as you shift your glance, gazing at the pink jewel of the tiara sparkles and shimmers brilliantly under the light…

…your smile instantly evaporates.

In one fell swoop, your body abruptly lurches backwards against the chair as though you are host to an invisible force, before you’re thrown to the floor.

Sonia gasps and Leon stands up, chair legs scraping harshly across the floor as he rushes over and helps you up, snaking an arm around your shoulder and holding your hand tightly.

Your eyes are closed as he shakes you gently, calling your name, and you slowly open your eyes. He breathes a sigh of relief when he sees your pupils are no longer blank and devoid of life. You have returned.

Your head’s throbbing and you emit an uncomfortable groan under your breath. “….Leon?”

“I’m here, it’s me. Are you alright?”

“…I think so.…” you glance around, spotting Volkner, Jace and Sonia who have gathered round.

"What happened to you?" Volkner asks.

“Chuck, are you okay?” 

“Thank goodness!” Sonia cries as she envelopes you into a hug whilst Frankie is gawping at the chair you had previously occupied.

“….Flora?” she squeaks out.

A transparent, shadowy silhouette has suddenly appeared from out of nowhere, lingering on the seat, capturing everyone's attention.

“Flora??” Frankie tries to reach out to her but her fingers only come into contact with nothingness, grappling into thin air, “Flora, say something…what’s wrong? Flora?? Flo-

_-ra?”_

_“Flora?”_

_“Flora, get back here this instant!”_

_“Leave me alone, mum!”_

_They’re fighting._

_She can’t remember what the reason was. It’s probably her mum who started the argument as usual, for she has been ruthlessly training her day in and day out._

_She's exhausted and she wants to leave._

_Locking the door behind her, she marches to her closet and throws open the door, pulling out an empty suitcase and tossing it over the bed. She begins to pack her essentials as the doorknob is wrestled for a few moments or so, before a loud thud resonates from the door._

_"Open this door!" mother yells, slamming a clenched fist against the surface._

_"No!"_

_"Open this door right now!"_

_"No, go away!"_

_When she's finished packing, she zips the case up and lifts it off the bed; she unlocks the door, coming face to face with her irate mother who had been waiting impatiently outside._

_“What do you think you are doing?”_

_“I’m leaving, mum.”_

_“But the pageant-“_

_“That's your dream, not mine. I never wanted to participate in any pageants, you’ve just been forcing it onto me,” Flora snaps, brushing past her mother and towards the direction of the stairs._

_“Flora, you can’t!” mum follows and grabs the suitcase, causing Flora to stop. “No, how could you? I’ve sacrificed too much for you to throw it all away! Don’t go."_

_"I'm sorry, mum, but I've had enough."_

_"Don’t, please don't.”_

_She pulls the case as hard as she can. “Mum, let go!”_

_“Don’t leave me!”_

_“Let go!”_

_The two women struggle, pulling and tugging the case in various directions, grappling with it back and forth._

_Flora’s mother cannot fathom this betrayal and treachery, by her own daughter nonetheless. She had spent all those years training and grooming her daughter to win, to be the best and most beautiful of all._

_And now her daughter was going to leave?_

_She knew about her boyfriend._

_She had eavesdropped on the plans they had discussed, the dreams they shared._

_They were planning to elope._

_A vile taste rises in her mouth. She wanted to vomit from the treachery, the betrayal….from her own daughter, nonetheless._

_If friends and the neighbours found out…how could she still show her face? Who knows how long she will be the talk of the town, the laughing stock? Hadn’t she been humiliated enough?_

_She had driven her own daughter away, just like she had driven her husband into the arms of another all those years ago!_ _The husband who left her with two children. One born when they were in love, and the other who caused the separation in the first place. That's when she lost the crown. She was too old. It was time to move on._

_Never, she thinks to herself and at that moment in time, she knew she had to stop her daughter from leaving at any cost._

_She grabs an object. Everything happened too quickly, she couldn't remember, but it was large and weighty and with strength she did not realise she could even possess, perhaps it was the spur of the moment and the adrenaline and anger rushing in her veins, she brings it down over her daughter's head._

_And everything goes still._

_Flora stumbles, dropping the case as she shakily lifts a hand to where she had struck._

_Her trembling hand is soaked with blood._

_Suddenly aware of what she had done, mother drops the object in shock. "FLORA!!! Oh my god, I'm so sorry-"_

_Disoriented, Flora winces and stumbles away clumsily, backing closer towards the stairs._

_"Flora!"_

_"Don't....come...near me-"_

_She’s too late to stop Flora from falling; the heel of her foot completely misses the step; it happened so fast. Flora_ _disappears down the staircase._

_The sounds of her body tumbling down the steps resonates throughout the entire house, accompanied with a curt scream which abruptly comes to an end as her body slams over the ground._

_Her mother is still, eyes laden with sheer terror._

_“…Flora?”_

_She rushes to the railing, peering over and promptly gasps at the sight, covering her mouth with her hands._

_Flora's body lies on the ground, limbs splayed out, resembling some twisted puppet on strings. Her head twisted to one side, Flora’s eyes remain open yet robbed of life. A puddle of red begins to leak from her head._

_She creeps down the steps, noticing that Flora hasn’t reacted, hasn’t moved when she calls her name, and she_ _begins to weep as she crouches beside her daughter. Her face is ruined. How can she participate in the pageant now?_

_Before the light disappeared from her eyes and the darkness overtook, Flora was facing the living room of the house she had grew up in, where she had so many fond memories._

_A pink glint reflected off her eyes; it was last thing she saw and it was her mother’s tiara, which was proudly displayed on the mantelpiece._

…

“Flora, what’s wrong?? Oh god, what’s wrong??”

Frankie cries out for her sister again and again, but she cannot elicit a successful response from the spirit as it hovers listlessly in the air.

“Frankie, stay back. Something’s wrong,” you utter as a dark miasma begins to emit from the spirit in shadowy wisps.

It gazes where her hands should be though they are transparent, and her fingertips are slowly dissolving into nothing.

_That’s right. I’m dead._

It’s then she realizes she’s hurting all over and she’s seeing everything in a lopsided angle. Is it her neck? 

It hurts.

A profound sense of dejection spreads throughout her chest, though it is comforting in many ways.

“Flora!” you yell, as the dark waves and wisps increase steadily around the spirit and begin to cocoon her; she is beginning to lose form. “Stop! Don’t give in!”

“What’s going on?!” Frankie cries out in confusion.

Flora closes her eyes as the darkness laps at her. A soothing voice beckons to her, telling her this is real. Her death was real and to embrace the truth. 

_My own mother._

Throwing her head back, the spirit's jaw enlarges as she proceeds to emits a pained scream as sharp and grating as nails on a chalkboard, and you and Frankie wince uncontrollably; her eyes sink in, her hair grows wild, elongating until they resemble tendrils which grow darker, more fierce, and Frankie flings her panicked glance back and forth between you and her sister; a cloud of darkness has swamped her entirely, coiling and twisting under the lights of the lab. The light does not penetrate this formless, sprawling mass.

“It’s too late,” says a quiet but gruff voice, and everyone glances to the source.

Ezra has risen from the sofa with Absol by his side.

He’s heading towards your group, his glazed eyes focused on the coiling shadow as he pulls out a thin, bronze dagger from the inner pocket of his coat.

“Wait!!!” Frankie yelps.

She runs up to him but he shoves her aside.

Ezra's wrist darts out and he tosses his dagger towards Flora’s direction.

The dagger hurtles seamlessly through the air and pierces the shadow. A strangled, ethereal shriek fills the lab before the spirit promptly explodes in a burst of black, its existence reduced to nothing but dark ashes that slowly float gently in the air before disintegrating into nothingness. The scream persists in its wake, echoing thoroughly before it fades away.

The dagger, having destroyed its target, lingers in mid-air for a second or so before it drops to the ground with a loud clatter.

The lab is bathed in silence as Jace and Sonia blink with wide disbelief whilst Volkner watches on impassively. Leon gives you a gentle squeeze on the arm as you hold him close. Frankie averts her limp gaze to you and Ezra.

“….What have you done?”

…

In Motostoke, Frankie’s mother is led out of her house in cuffs.

She’s escorted by two policemen and her expression is blank, empty of emotion. Is she remorseful that her daughter died, or resentful that she was caught? You cannot tell.

You stand a safe distance away, watching Frankie in the open doorway; she’s sobbing and shaking her head with disbelief. The sirens blare and wail and neighbours peer over the garden fence to get a closer look. Then she spots you and your mentor across the street under the streetlight, and her expression turns stormy.

She marches up to you and when she’s an arm length’s away, her eyes are ablaze with anger and hatred, reserved just for you.

“I hate you!” she hisses, “I wish I never met you!!! You ruined everything!! You’ve taken EVERYTHING away from me!!! I never want to see you again!!!”

Without another word, she spins on her heel and dashes towards the direction of her house, slamming the door shut in her wake.

Stricken with a numbness you’re all-too familiar with, you stand, immobile.

Some of the neighbours throw glances at you, wondering what had happened between you two to have warranted such a hostile encounter.

Footsteps approach you, and Ezra joins your side. 

“…You okay, kid?” he mutters, breaking the monotony.

It takes a while for you to regain your composure, and you manage a meek shake your head.

“You did your best.”

“…But it’s never really enough, is it?”

“You tried...that’s what’s most important.”

Your body shudders as you exhale loudly, wiping the corner of your eyes which are growing wet. “Oh god. What the hell was I thinking? I-I couldn’t do anything after all.”

“Stop beating yourself up. You did everything you could.”

“Do you think she’ll be okay?”

“She’ll be fine, her anger will subside and she'll move on. Not sure about her mother though.” Ezra mutters; without further ado, he grabs his cane and begins tapping at the ground, disappearing from the lamplight and onto the path. “Come on, kid, let’s call it a day.”

You nod weakly, joining his side; you throw the house one last look from over your shoulder before you follow your mentor into the darkness.

…

Later, you receive a message from Graves; one of his subordinates saw and recognised you at the scene. He asks you what you were doing there and you tell him you were working on a case. He doesn't bother to berate you over text. 

Though you're aware the police were investigating at the same time since you had met Frankie and when you had held the pageant, you ask for more information regarding the arrest and to your surprise, Graves informs you the autopsy revealed Flora had died in a different location (and not the Watchtower Ruins). She had suffered head trauma and was left to bleed. The injuries on her body were also post-mortem, designed to confuse and mislead but lo and behold, nothing can escape Lady Justice. Frankie's mother and her alibi didn't quite check out, and she had become the prime suspect.

It would only be a matter of time.

The truth has been revealed though your mood does not improve and when you return to the lab, you quietly clean up the whiteboard and stow away the remnants of the case into your files. Earlier, you had wiped off the makeup and gotten changed into your normal clothes. 

Jace and Volkner assist with dismantling the setup; they silently take down the curtains, the lights and tidy away the carpet. They also help you return the tables and desks and chairs to their respective places before they take their leave for the remainder of the night.

Everything was a blur, but you briefly remember thanking them and they did ask if you were fine, and you assured them you were and that you wanted to be alone.

Sonia packs away her utensils but you don’t go home with her just yet. You thank her for her help tonight and she exits the lab with Yamper though she’s reluctant to leave you on your own.

That leaves Leon, and he enters the lab quietly, spotting you at the whiteboard and quickly taking down all the pins, strings and magnets.

“Hey…” he murmurs as he makes his way over and you turn round.

His arms are full; he's holding a massive bouquet of flowers, a lilac box tied all over with a white ribbon and a Sobble doll.

"Um, I got you these because I wanted to cheer you up...they ran out of Ghost pokemon dolls so I had to make do with Sobble," he utters as you gasp. "And the bouquet I got you last time was ruined so I got you a new one."

You're stunned he managed to curate all these in such a short span of time and an image of him running around from shop to shop flashes in your mind; it's enough to bring a smile to your lips and you chuckle. "Thank you, they're wonderful."

He grins bashfully as he presents you with the gifts which you carefully settle on the desk. The bouquet is far more extravagant than the previous one, filled with a multitude of brightly coloured flowers of all shapes and sizes and also looking very expensive and exotic. You quickly lean down and take a whiff; they smell wonderful as expected, and you lift up the box next for a good look. It's fancy chocolate. 

Next, you pick up the Sobble doll. It is so cute and squishy, and you let it sit on the desk beside your books. Leon watches as you smile to yourself; just seeing you happy makes him happy.

"Thanks Leon," you murmur, stepping over to his side to swiftly kiss him on the cheek.

His face grows red, but he grins and before you can wander away, he takes your hand in his and gently squeezes your fingers. "...You're welcome."

"I'll take better care of the flowers this time," you reassure him and he nods; you return to the board, picking up where you left off and determined to finish up before the end of the night.

"Let me give you a hand."

"Thanks."

He grabs Flora’s photograph and pulls it off the board. You watch as he silently assists you, before you peel off Frankie’s photo and Hank’s mugshot. He continues to help you with the cleanup and when the board is clear, you grab your journal and the box of chocolates before heading for the last step of the staircase, plopping yourself down with the items balancing over your knees.

Leon joins you as expected, being mindful of his cape as he settles himself down. You have always enjoyed being close to Leon no matter what the occasion and this evening is no exception.

"Let's have a look," you say with a smile as you untie the ribbon as carefully as you can, lifting up the lid to reveal the chocolates are moulded into adorable shapes of ghost-pokemon ranging from Ghastly, Phantump, Pumpkaboo and Drifloon.

Leon watches your reaction; your eyes light up before you gesture him to take one. He chooses a Drifloon fudge and you pluck a Ghastly truffle before you both pop them into your mouths at the same time.

"Oh, it's good."

"I’m glad you like it. What should we try next?"

"Phantump caramel?"

"Yeah."

As you munch your way through your next chosen chocolate, you sigh.

"Are you okay?" Leon asks.

You shake your head.

"Come here," he replies, and you put the chocolates down to scoot closer to him; he invites you into his embrace, wrapping an arm around your shoulder whilst scooping your other hand with his. The warmth from his hands is comforting as he affectionately weaves your fingers together.

“I just wanted to help,” you murmur.

“I know.”

“Was that so wrong?”

“Of course not.”

“I wish I could be like you, Leon. I wish I could help people the way you do.”

“But you already do.”

“No, I don’t. You inspire people and actually make a difference to the world.”

“So do you,” he replies, chuckling. “I’m serious. You _do_ make a difference, and in so many ways. You save people’s lives.”

You look up at him silently and he glances down, your eyes meeting.

“You saved me, remember? You saved the _Champion of Galar_. And you saved that guy called Tanner. Your heart was in the right place, and it always has been. Someone needed help and you answered their pleas; you wanted to help them in the way you knew how, which you did.”

Your cheeks go pink and he grins at you. 

He lets go of your shoulder so he can gently clasp both hands over yours, bringing your entwined hands close to his chest before he leans down and brushes his lips over your knuckles. This display of affection makes you smile, and he presses another kiss over your hand.

“…She reminded me of myself when I was younger,” you utter, “and she also reminded me of Rosie. I even asked her if she wanted to learn. For a long time, it felt like I was swimming in a dark ocean all by myself where I couldn’t see anything or anyone but then she came along, and I wasn’t alone anymore. Someone else was swimming beside me the entire time.”

“You’re not alone,” Leon replies, “you have me. You have your pokemon, you have Ezra, Jace, Sonia, Inspector Graves, the professor. My mother and Hop, too.”

When he releases you, albeit slowly, his hands settle on your waist and you encircle your arms around his neck, resting your cheek against his shoulder. Leon emits a quiet sigh under his breath as he gathers you up in his sturdy arms and pulls you further into his embrace, holding you close to him.

As your mind begins to ease, your body relaxing, the journal finally slips off your knees and topples to the ground, your family photo sliding out in progress.

“I got it,” Leon murmurs, sliding his arm around your back as he bends down so he can scoop the items up quickly, and you chuckle as you cling onto him.

“Thanks,” you say with a grin as he hands you the journal and photo; you study your family’s smiling faces and your smile disappears. “…Leon?”

“Yes?”

“...I never told you what really happened to my family. I should have told you earlier. I’m sorry,” you say quietly, taking a deep breath. “I’ll tell you now.”

He nods.

“I’m from Kalos. We lived in Laverre Town. My family were haunted by an entity. In particular, Rosie.”

As you recount your past, explaining to Leon about Dusknoir, the incident in the basement, your mother’s disappearance and your time spent in hospital after your mental breakdown, you see Leon’s smile slowly vanishing from his face, his expression turning solemn.

And now you’re rather afraid yourself, for deep inside, you knew very well you cannot hide the truth from him and you were always terrified of what he will think of you once all the skeleton in the closet was dug out.

You cannot fathom what he might be thinking of. Maybe this will be it, this will be the final straw for him. He will decide you are a kook, once and for all and like many others, he will cease being around you. Maybe it’s too much emotional baggage to deal with and he will not want anything to do with you after all.

When you finish, Leon is very silent.

You ensured no detail was left out and now all you can do is wait for his response, albeit with incredible unease.

"So that's why you asked if I could help you find a Dusknoir," he murmurs, and you're surprised he remembered that considering it was such a long time ago.

Regardless, you nod. "I want to find out what happened to them, if they're still out there. I need to know what happened. Why Rosie, why them? Why me? Who did it...or, what did it...and why?"

Leon clamps his hand tightly over yours. "What happened isn't your fault. Don't blame yourself."

"But if I'd been stronger, if I'd paid more attention-"

"It's not your fault," he mutters, "I'll help you. Should we find a Dusknoir to get some answers? I know there are wild ones in Galar. Would that help?"

"...It might be dangerous."

He says, with a wide grin, "The Champion of Galar will do everything he can to protect you."

A huge smile worms its way over your face and you squeeze his hand tightly, "I appreciate it, Leon, but Ezra said it's nothing to do with the pokemon."

"Do you agree?"

You nod. "When Dusknoir took my family away, it was either possessed by the entity or it was receiving orders via the antenna on its head. And whatever that something is, it's from the spirit world, using Dusknoir to do its bidding. If I'm to stop it, I'll need to go in myself but even till now, I still have no clue what it might be or how to get there. I might get answers if I go into the spirit world myself but that would mean....well, I'd need to go through a Near Death Experience, or...I'll find a way to open a portal but that's completely unheard of, if not, impossible."

"You can't, that's too dangerous. Everything you've just told me is too dangerous."

"Yeah, I know. Too dangerous." you echo, nodding.

There's your dilemma, you realise. 

"Any other plans?"

"....Well, Ezra said it will come for me one day. There's that."

As Leon speaks, it's then you recall that shadowy silhouette behind Charizard and Vulpix when you had watched the sunrise together. 

“Hey, you okay?"

"Huh?" you snap out of your thoughts, blinking at him. "What? Sorry, did you say something?"

"Yeah, I was just asking what happened next? What happened after you moved to Galar?”

"Oh, right," you murmur, “Well….”

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the most Constantine thing I have written. 
> 
> There goes another case.
> 
> I did originally plan to write a convoluted plot, but I actually thought this outcome was better. Let me know if you had guessed correctly! 
> 
> And Leon is actually your biggest fan, not Frankie hehe
> 
> There is no bs with Ezra, he will just get up and do his thing no matter who or what gets hurt.
> 
> The answers to the beauty pageant are real, I googled these up lol.


	25. The Exorcist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dive into your past shows how your life is quite similar to the protagonist of a seinen manga, complete with a Hollywood-esque exorcism.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 10.02.2021
> 
> Finally, I get to post a chapter called 'The Exorcist'! I waited for soooo long *3* This is homage to one of the most terrifying movies in the world!! Well, as if this fic couldn't reach another level of madness, we have this. This is a plot heavy chapter btw.
> 
> There are also some changes I made - Chapter 1's author notes now contains a list of the various arcs/cases of this story. The next change I made was rename this 'Tape' series to 'The Dark World' instead (suits it better lol).
> 
> The opening part of chapters usually contain little snippet of info or some quote but today's is way too big so I just moved it from the middle centering to the left for easy reading.
> 
> WARNING 1 - this chapter contains a real exorcism prayer and apparently, you should not read this prayer out loud unless you are a catholic priest.
> 
> WARNING 2 - I've never used an ouija board and I don’t plan to. You’re welcome to share with me your ouija board stories if you have tried one before but I myself don't know if they're just board games or really a gateway to let things in. Anyway people say exercise with caution so please do so should you ever decide to use one for whatever reason.
> 
> WARNING 3 - there is mention of blood, I toned down the exorcism here

**The Exorcist**

…

…

[ _Legend of the Void:_

(Ezra's version, which introduces concepts such as the merging of two universes to explain the origins of man + pokemon subservience to humans)

Before the concept of time existed, before anything existed, there was Something, and you may as well say this 'something' was a god, a divine being or interdimensional entity, and this entity created a Universe under the right circumstances and conditions, and he would proceed to create humans.

And for a while, the Creator of Man was happy until he saw the evil ways of humanity and he saw this evil run rampant in his world. Regretful and upset, he decided to destroy the very thing he created with a flood.

However, the Creator of Man didn't choose to restore this world. After he destroyed it, he left and found another Universe - a Universe that was similar to his own, except it was inhabited by strange creatures which we know as _pokemon_. Now they already had a creator, and their creator was called Arceus, who emerged from a void after our Creator did. And our Creator saw that this Universe was just as peaceful and beautiful as his previous one.

He decided to give his creations a second chance so he made humans all over again and placed them in this world. But mankind are a destructive species, the human heart is filled with evil intention and it always will be, and the humans began creating devices to enslave the pokemon race in order to utilise them as tools. 

**My notes:** _According to the Church of Circhester, this 'version' is completely unorthodox. It is 'baseless fabrication and blasphemy' and Ezra was condemned as a misanthrope._

 _Sometimes I wonder where Ezra gets his theories from because this is highly controversial. It's fascinating that to this day and age, scientists are actually still trying to figure_ _who caught the first pokemon, what was the first pokemon caught, and why (ie, how did early humans gain this knowledge, who told them and/or did anyone tell them, what prompted them to capture a pokemon?), and how did they manage to do so in the first place._

_Could the discovery of catching pokemon be similar to coincidences that happened throughout history, such as how cavemen discovered fire, how Newton discovered gravity?_

_(edit: there is a myth that Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans. For his transgression, he was to undergo eternal torment as punishment - ie, bound to a rock and have his liver eaten out everyday, only for it to re-grow hence an ongoing cycle. He was freed by the hero, Heracles)._

_Interestingly enough, flood myth also exists in many cultures albeit with different variations (pls refer to: The Epic of Gilgamesh).  
_

_Also, I'm pretty sure Team Plasma advocated that pokemon were oppressed and should be liberated from their trainers but then again they were also being led by a psychopath with his own selfish motives_.]

…

…

**A few years ago.**

The weather is thunder and lightning, coupled with intense spitting rain.

And he was sure he locked the cemetery gates before he left but now they were hanging loosely from the chain.

Ezra grumbles to himself, eyes narrowing.

It can only mean one thing: an intruder.

The rickety gates squeal on their old hinges as he pushes them open and steps inside. His heavy footsteps plod through the old, withered path of Greyson’s cemetery as he heads for the mausoleum. That’s usually where they are.

Absol trots beside him, her jaws clamped over the tarnished iron handle of an old lantern; she keeps it dangling in front of her, lighting up the path though it’s not much use to him. He lives in a world of darkness, and he's used to it.

It should have been a normal night, which would have been nice because he wanted some peace and quiet for a change considering how busy he had been for the past few weeks. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts and he wanted to enjoy a pack of beer and cigarettes.

Not tonight, it seems.

He will tell those pesky young lads to go play elsewhere.

But wait, it’s something else.

Absol has been somewhat agitated the moment they approach the cemetery, but now she cannot stop growling.

“What is it?” he asks, but it doesn’t take too long to figure out what it is. “Goddamnit.”

This is just what he needed.

He delves a hand into his pocket and whips out a thin strip of paper covered in sprawling red symbols. Bringing it to his lips, he murmurs a quick enchantment under his breath before it bursts into flames and a smoky smell permeates the air. A bright, glowing light illuminates the symbols and he promptly tosses it high into the air.

Despite the wind, it flutters limply in the breeze for a second and then the impossible happens; the glowing symbols daintily lift themselves off the surface and float in the sky. They thoroughly increase in size, the symbols imprinting the air before they vanish into wisps of smoke.

The talisman proceeds to burn up and all that is left is a crinkly ball of fire which bursts into long and thin lines of flames that zips effortlessly through the air and stretches all the way past the graveyard’s borders.

“That should do it,” Ezra murmurs before he rubs at his aching hip. “C'mon, let’s go.”

He wanders further into the graveyard with his pokemon, pondering to himself what he might find though he is aware the answer to that is essentially _nothing remotely good_ and along the way, a few ghost pokemon emerge from the tombstones and watch them worriedly.

They’re aware of the disturbance tonight but can do little to stop it, unfortunately as it requires human intervention, and is literally out of this world.

A few Haunters point him to the right direction but he doesn’t need their help because he can sense where this unwanted and hauntingly powerful presence is. He may have lived in darkness for a long time but he can see it as clear as day: a twisting, coiling mass filled with nothing but malice.

It is also not alone for Ezra can also sense another human being; a warm and kind but very tired and exasperated soul, about to be devoured.

He hopes they’re not too late and Absol leaves his side and he can hear her padded paws bounding away from him against the pebbly path; she leaps off the ground and snaps her jaws at this person.

There is a brief howl and something weighty slams over the ground.

Absol has subdued the culprit.

Ezra arrives and his hip is still acting up but nevertheless, he limps over and he sees this little warm and pure soul squirming helplessly on the ground as it is slowly being enveloped by the dark presence.

Whoever it is, they cannot even speak, reduced to a gurgling, rasping mess.

He uses his foot to nudge at this poor, unfortunate individual that is writhing helplessly on the floor of his cemetery though he knocks over this thick, wooden plate of some sorts at the same time and there is the sound of a glass rolling.

An Ouija board.

“Help!” a girl screams. “Oh god! Help- _aaaghh!_ ”

Morbid wailing follows as she’s forced to contort under the demon’s influence and a few bones snap and she begins crying but the sound lodges in her mouth and she emits a guttural rasp, her throat rattling violently.

The old ex-priest grabs a talisman from his pocket and smacks it over her forehead which ceases her violent fits for temporary.

“Hey, kid. Sit tight, I’m gonna get it out, you hear me?”

“O-okay!” she squeaks, and though he’s surprised she can even respond, she returns to the incoherent snarling and growling. As he tries to grab her, she makes several routine attempts to bite him.

Avoiding her as much as possible, Ezra bends down and lifts her into his arms with the help of his pokemon who helps nudge her into his arms.

“Steady now,” he says as he carries her into the mausoleum, which isn’t too far ahead.

He hears her croaking and choking, fighting the entity within as he settles her into the huge stone chair inside. Absol closes the door behind them and then trots over with a thick coil of rope which she collects from one corner.

He thanks her and begins strapping the girl carefully and securely into the chair with rope, keeping her wrists and ankles bound as she kicks and flails, hurling curses and obscenities at him, screaming and roaring and shrieking in a feral manner.

His pokemon stands watch as the girl starts slamming the back of her head against the stone, growling raucously.

But Ezra remains calm and lights various rows of candles that line the walls, pulls his silver cross out and clutches it tightly in his old hands and kneels in front of the altar, his weak knees hitting the dirt. Since his vision failed him, he hasn’t moved the statue or the water trough anywhere else.

He chants a prayer under his breath and dips his fingers into the water. God bless him. God save her soul. He does the sign of the cross and then heads over to the duo and blesses his pokemon as well, which she appreciates by purring affectionately.

Grabbing an old brush, he dips it into a bucket of old red paint in the corner and begins painting a sigil on the ground as quickly as he can around the chair.

Once he’s finished, he dumps the brush to the side. He moved to stand in front of the girl who has ceased her wild shrieking in favour of hissing spitefully at him.

“Be silent,” Ezra commands in a loud, booming voice, before he tosses some of the water over her.

And so it begins.

“In nómine Pátris, et Fílii, et Spirítus Sancti. Amen,” Ezra chants with his silver cross in hand which he proceeds to thrust in front of her face, “Exsúrgat Deus et dissipéntur inimíci ejus: et fúgiant qui odérunt eum a fácie ejus. Sicut déficit fumus defíciant; sicut fluit cera a fácie ígnis.”

Outside, the muffled clap of overhead thunder can be heard, the wind howling.

He continues, “Sic péreant peccatóres a fácie Dei-“

“ _If you think that will stop me, you’re wrong,"_ says a deep voice.

Dabbing his entire hand into the trough of holy water, Ezra steps forward and smears it all over her forehead before he presses the rest of his palm firmly into her face. The demon shrieks and withdraws.

 _That’s what you get for interrupting me_ , Ezra thinks to himself but ultimately cannot say aloud: he must continue the exorcism prayer regardless of how long it could take.

“Júdica Dómine nocéntes me; expúgna impugnántes me. Confundántur et revereántur quaeréntes ánimam meam,” he murmurs, “Avertántur retrórsum et confundántur, cogitántes míhi mála. Fíant táamquam púlvis ante fáciem vénti: et Ángelus Dómini coárctans eos.”

The door suddenly flies open and the brutal, icy wind swirls inside, wiping out all the flames of the candles in a split second. Absol glances around in high alert but Ezra remains still. Raindrops batter his back as the door slams in its frame repeatedly. 

The walls tremble from several wicked blows as though an unseen assailant is rampaging outside, circling the mausoleum whilst repeatedly slamming a hammer against the stone, yet Ezra remains calm.

“Fiat via illórum ténebrae, et lúbricum: et Ángelus Dómini pérsequens eos. Quóniam grátis abscondérunt míhi intéritum láquei sui: supervácue exprobravérunt ánimam meam.”

Realising the priest is undeterred, the monster unleashes an unearthly howl and a glass shatters somewhere. It’s bellows and roars reverberate throughout the walls and resonates thoroughly in Ezra’s ears.

Since he lost his sight, his hearing amplified; the shrill sounds of nails scraping against the stone and the chaotic tugging of the rope rises to inescapable volumes as the demon furiously struggles against its bonds.

Ezra continues his prayer, “Véniat illi láqueus quem ignórat; et cáptio quam abscóndit, aprehéndat eum: et in láqueum cádat in ipsum-”

He briefly picks up the coppery stench of blood and very soon, a wet substance splatters over his lips and cheeks and eyelids. It laughs, and another splodge hits the side of his ear.

Raising a hand, Ezra wordlessly smothers the blood away with the back of his hand. “Ánima áutem mea exsultábit in Dómino: et delectábitur super salutári suo. Glória Pátri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto.”

Then he presses his cross over the demon’s head, forcing it to shriek uncontrollably. It kicks and screams, quaking fiercely against the restraints. He applies more pressure, the cross is warm under his grip and steadily growing hotter.

To his utmost surprise, the little warm light he had seen earlier is beginning to return and it is fighting back, growing larger and larger as the seconds pass.

“Come on, kid, I know you’re still in there. You can do it!” he yells.

She keeps growling and snarling, foaming at the mouth. Gnashing her teeth repeatedly, she emits a deranged howl, struggling viciously to reach him.

“Come on! Fight it!” 

The walls of the mausoleum quake violently, the ground underneath his very feet trembles. Absol starts growling, leaping around in alarm.

Ezra listens to the excruciating sound of cords straining and eventually coming undone; her fist shoots out and her fingers, sharp as claws, stabs into his gut, and twists.

He grunts with pain, but does not let go.

Easing his other hand into his pockets, he pulls out another talisman; it glows faintly from the enchantment which he promptly slaps over her forehead and with a powerful bark of “ _Relinquo_!", a dark shadow shoots out from her body and into the air with a bloodcurdling shriek.

Freed at last, the girl keels over, her head dipped low, blood gushing from her mouth.

And Ezra stumbles backwards, lifting a bleeding hand off his stomach. He sighs heavily before he feels his head growing light, his body weightless, and he promptly collapses over the floor.

…

When he wakes up, he can feel warmth all around.

He is lying on something soft.

A bed.

He has not slept in a bed for a long time.

It smells like lavender and jasmine.

He despises it.

"You're awake!" exclaims a voice.

It's the girl from the cemetery.

Purring sounds can be heard near his bed and he reaches over; a fluffy head affectionately plops itself under his palm and rubs itself against his callused skin. Ezra grunts under his breath, groaning as he shuffles around under the blanket and attempts to reach for her, though his limbs are weary.

“Cassie,” he utters, and Absol climbs onto the bed, sprawling over him. He gently pats her head and strokes her snowy white fur. 

The room is silent until he hears the legs of a chair screeching against the floor and the girl does her best to quietly leave the room. She returns in roughly half an hour however, after he’s had a check-up.

By then, he’s exhausted and wants to rest.

He hears the door squeaking open and she pokes her head in, then steps inside the room and closes the door behind her.

“What are you doing here?" he asks tiredly.

"I needed to see that you'd be okay," she says, "I thought you were dead. I'm…I’m really sorry."

"It'll take more than that to kill me."

"Thank you for saving my life."

"As long as I'm around, nothing's gonna happen to you, kid."

"Thank you, sir. Um...Can I ask you a question?" 

"About what?"

"About the...demon.” 

"What do you want to know?" 

"Everything. I want to know if it was the one who took my sister and my father. And if it was, I want to know why it did it and I want to get them back."

“Listen, kid. Don't dabble in stuff you don't understand, especially this."

"I know and I'm so, so sorry. But…can you teach me?"

His unfazed expression doesn't change.

"Please teach me.”

He hears the chair legs squeaking again coupled with a lot of fumbling; she’s flat on the ground before him on her hands and knees. _How troublesome_ , he thinks to himself with a sigh. 

"You want to learn how to exorcise demons?" he grunts.

"Yes."

“ _You?_ ”

“Yeah.”

Utterly astounded, he takes a while to reply and rubs the back of his neck. "Do you hear the kind of stuff that is coming out of your mouth right now?" he growls and she looks up, confused. "You're saying something along the lines of 'I want to destroy a creation of the universe'. Do you know how impossible and crazy that sounds? Do you?"

"A creation of the universe? Are you talking about Arceus? Why would Arceus create something like that…do you mean it’s an undiscovered pokemon of undiscovered type???”

“Hell no. Goddamnit, kid, I mean it came _before_ Arceus.”

“What do you mean, ‘before Arceus’? Arceus came from an egg and before the egg, it was a void of nothingness-“

He sighs heavily. “There was something before Arceus, before the void. You always explain one event as being created by some earlier event, right? So before Arceus, there was some kind of infinite period where time did not exist but during this period, there was something there…do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

“…Not really.”

“Exactly. You’re obviously still in shock and speaking nonsense. Go home, kid. Go back to your family.”

Yawning loudly, he pulls the blanket closer over his body and turns round in his warm and cosy bed, his back to her. He’s careful not to lie on his stomach though.

"But I'm serious," she says.

"So am I," he replies.

...

After he’s fully healed and discharged, he returns to the cemetery; the Corviknight taxi drops him off a few metres away and he taps his way across the Wild Area with Absol and his cane.

When he arrives, he realises the girl is also here.

At first, he ignored her and let her be. He did his daily caretaker duties, watering the plants, pulling weeds and sweeping the tombs.

He didn't know what she was doing here - she probably observed his daily regime - and one day she brought some cleaning supplies with her and began assisting him with the upkeep of the cemetery, especially with some of the heavy lifting. 

Today, he’s forcibly awoken when he hears her sweeping the area around the mausoleum and shoving dust everywhere and he grumbles sourly under his breath. He had already told her a few times to go home but she keeps coming back. She keeps coming back to clean, to lurk around the graveyard, to help him.

“Stop that,” he snaps at her, “you’re disturbing them, and I already swept it yesterday.”

She stops dusting at some tombstones. “Sorry, I thought-”

Ezra grumbles, scrubbing at his mangy face with a dirty palm. Reaching for a beer by his calf, he grasps blindly for the can and lifts it to his mouth, downing a sip. “Get over here, kid.”

He hears her stepping towards him and he glances up, looking at this annoyingly bright light before him.

“You really wanna learn that badly, huh?”

“Yes, sir.”

“No need to be so formal, my name is Ezra.” With a heavy sigh, he dusts himself down and stands up, using his cane to support himself. “And I am…or _was_ , the pastor of the Church of Circhester. I was also a member of the International Association of Exorcists. Do you understand who and what you’re dealing with?”

“Yes, sir – I mean, Ezra.”

“Now, tell me who you are and why I should teach you.”

He hears this little gasp of awe before she tells him her predicament. She tells him her name, who she is, where she came from, how old she is.

She rambles at some point and he has to occasionally steer her towards the focal details and periodically, she’ll become flustered, especially when speaking about the night when she saw her father and sister devoured by a Dusknoir. Once she’s finished recounting her tale, he nods.

“It was a demon, right?” she says, though she sounds unsure.

“Probably. Didn't your family have any pokemon?"

"...Sableye and Haunter went missing, and Cutiefly and Sinistea were in PC boxes," she says, "Please teach me. I want to learn."

He studies her quietly, then holds his index finger up in the air. “Fine, but I must warn you: my teachings are difficult and I’ve had several idiots coming up to me just like how you did and they’ve all failed-”

“I'm not an idiot and I won’t fail you.”

“-Yeah, let’s see about that, kid.” Holding up two fingers now, “Second, if I’m to teach you, I want you to swear to me you will take no retribution against Dusknoir. I don’t mind if you want to research one or whatever, but do not take your grudge with the pokemon. It’s nothing to do with it.”

“I understand.”

He moves on to hold up three fingers. “Third, that being said, you cannot use what you learned to harm humans or pokemon in any way. You must use it for good. I can tell you have a gift and under my guidance and training, I believe you will reach your full potential.”

“Okay.”

“Four, I will teach you with the utmost effort and I also expect to receive full commitment from yourself. I will not make do with time-wasters or mediocrity. Do you understand?”

“Yeah.”

“And lastly, promise me you will not in either way, attempt to summon entities for any reason. Do not use Ouija boards, do not dabble in sacrifice, do not try to open any portals. Hell, do not attempt any of those things.”

“I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.”

“Now, some of my teachings are limited. I can teach you how to protect yourself and protect others. Are you happy with this, knowing that there are limitations as to what I can teach you?”

“Yes, I am.”

Ezra studies her again before he nods to himself.

He’s said quite a lot but he knows she understands. “Good,” he murmurs.

“So…when do we start?”

“We start now.”

He disappears inside the mausoleum and re-emerges with a dirty rucksack; he pulls out a tattered old journal along with an old, portable cassette player which he hands to her.

“Your first task is to read this and listen to the tapes. Learn the symbols, learn the prayers. Come back whenever you’re ready and show me what you got.”

“Got it.”

She comes back in five days, which was a lot earlier than he had expected considering his previous ‘disciples’ either came back in a week or two, and some barely returned in person, opting to hand his book and tape back by leaving it at the gates.

He hears her approaching and sits up whilst Absol sleeps in a corner, and she says, “I finished it.”

“What did you think?”

“It was interesting.“

“...You didn’t think it was disturbing?”

“No.”

There is a brief silence.

“Hm…not sure if that’s a good or bad thing,” he murmurs under his breath.

The tapes were full of recorded exorcisms, consisting of unearthly screaming, howling and shrieking courtesy of the victims.

He says, “Recite Saint Michael’s prayer to me.”

She does so, with almost near-perfect pronunciation.

Ezra listens intently and nods when she’s finished. “Not bad. Now let’s hear Signum Crucis.”

“In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancta-“

“ _Sancti_ ,” he corrects her.

“Sancti,” she repeats.

“Not bad. Again.”

She recites the short prayer once more, this time with no errors.

“Gloria Patri,” he grunts out next, grabbing his beer and flipping the lid off.

And they continue going through some prayers until it’s almost sunset and she’s a little exhausted and he’s finished his pack of beer.

“You did well, kid. Come back tomorrow.”

“Really???”

“Yeah.”

“Thank you!!”

“Don’t thank me yet. I’ll be testing you on the symbols and their meanings. Then there’s a final test.”

“Okay!” she exclaims excitedly, and after exchanging some short words, she bids him farewell and he hears her leaving, her footsteps echoing loudly in the quiet graveyard.

The next day, she returns and passes the symbols assessment with flying colours as he had expected considering how quickly she’d picked up the Latin prayers.

And the next day after that, he teaches her how to use talismans.

As the weeks roll by, he continuously subjects her to tests on latin prayers and symbology. Then he teaches her some blood magic. 

Soon, weeks turns to months, and she’s picked up a lot of his teachings in a short period of time, which impresses him greatly.

She begins to accompany him on exorcisms which undoubtedly at the beginning, does disturb her a little but the more she sat in and watched (and sometimes assisted with), the more she began to see such things as a normality and he also allows her to work on her own cases albeit under some guidance.

Before he knows it, he has transformed this little girl into an exorcist.

“Well done, kid. You’ve exceeded all my expectations. I’m proud of you," he says with a nod of his head.

She cheers, but then remembering her tutelage, she bows deeply with gratitude, eyes closed. “Thank you, Ezra. I wouldn’t be where I am now if it weren’t for you,” she replies, “what’s the final test?”

“Final test?”

“Yeah, you mentioned it a while ago.”

“….Hm, so I did,” he says, before he gets off the steps, dusting at his palms and weak knees. “Let me show you something. Come on, Absol.”

He motions her to follow him and he heads to two marked graves near a statue of a weeping angel which is covered in a sparse layer of moss.

She joins his side and she scans the names etched on the stone. One name in particular stands out. “ _Cassie??_ ” she murmurs, before she casts a glance to the pokemon that stands by his side.

Absol looks up, and regards her with its steely blue eyes.

“My wife and daughter,” Ezra murmurs, his white gaze staring emptily into space. “This is a dark path. There will always be death. This is my final warning to you: if you choose to walk this path, be prepared to lose everything. Is this something you can do?”

There is a brief silence until she says, “Yes.”

Ezra hesitates; she observes him for any noticeable reaction but he is immobile, standing stiffly with his hands clasped together in front of him.

“...Very well," he utters. "Come with me.”

“Where to?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

He hasn’t left the cemetery other for reasons than to go to the soup kitchen or to buy his beer and cigarettes, so he asks her to call for a Corviknight taxi since he doesn’t have a Rotom phone.

When the taxi arrives, he asks the driver to take them to the Dusty Bowl and they’re dropped off at the outskirts.

“Why are we here?” she asks, but he ignores her and begins to head for the desolate path.

She trails after him and despite being blind, she’s stunned to see that he seems to be aware a great deal of where he’s going. A sandstorm begins to rage but Ezra is unaffected and continues to wander down the plains, using his cane to avoid any obstacles such as rocks, trees or tall grass. Whilst she tries to cover her eyes, blinking through sand and grit, she helps him along the way of course, but he doesn’t seem to require her assistance at all.

Occasionally, wild pokemon will peek at them from behind the dry and crusty grass but they don’t dare to approach.

She glances around with much wariness as he leads her further and further away from the winding path, the barren wastelands, the dead trees and soon, he has led her into oblivion.

The sandstorm worsens and as she looks left, right and up, she cannot see a single damn thing in front of her; if she did not keep her gaze pinned on the ghostly silhouette of her mentor tottering in front of her a short feet away, she was certain she would have lost her way.

“Ezra, be careful!” she yells above the loud winds and the whirling sands.

“I’ll be fine,” he says, though his voice is hard to hear.

Her nerves begins to eat at her and they’ve been walking for seems like an eternity and she isn’t even sure if they’re still in the Dusty Bowl or the gym challenger’s path anymore, perhaps they’ve moved onto the Giant’s Mirror or the Stony Wilderness, but the sandstorm is endless and she calls after him once more.

“Ezra, where are you taking me?”

“Keep moving, we’re almost there,” he grunts at her in response.

Her question is finally answered when he stops in his path and grows still, holding out his arm.

“Wait.”

She watches him, listening, but nothing happens.

“Okay, come over here.”

There is a bad feeling in her gut as she sidles up to him and to her utmost surprise, the sandstorm begins to subside, revealing a large cenote before them.

Her eyes widen.

He’s standing at the very edge, his foot shoving some rocks and dust into the large pit before them; if he had taken one step further, he would’ve fallen inside. She looks around in shock. The sandstorm had disappeared in a blink of an eye, instead it had been replaced with a lingering misty fog that surrounded them. She knew the Wild Area was erratic but this weather was abnormal to the extreme.

Her shocked gaze strays to the blind man. His glazed eyes are focused in front of him, oblivious to the deep.

“I want you to go in there,” he says.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes,” he mutters. “You can take the stairs.”

He nudges his head to the right where a spiralling ‘staircase’ consisting of huge, mismatched slabs of rocks sticking out from the walls of the pit appear to offer a way down inside.

“Do you wish to turn back?” he asks, sensing her hesitation.

“No.”

“I’ll be right behind you.”

She nods and steps towards the first rock, which is dusty and covered with yellowing grass, and she uses one foot to test out the footing, giving it a few stern prods with her toes. The rock seems stubborn enough and once she deems it safe, she makes her way down.

It’s steep and she carefully tackles each step one by one, having to hold onto some dry vines that dangle and stick out of the edges of the wall until she arrives at the bottom of the pit.

Looking up and around, the sky is painted a strange and ethereal purplish, blue glow… perhaps from the aurora borealis, though she’s never seen it warp into this sort of shade before. Usually it is a streak of colours in the night sky…neither a star can be seen in sight either.

She also realises the pit isn’t as deep as she thought. She’s fairly certain gym challengers would never find this place nor would anyone in the right mind would even want to go in here.

She steps closer towards the middle of the pit, her feet crunching under gravel and stones, and stares at the walls of the pit.

There is an entrance, resembling a zigzagged slit in the wall. It’s big enough for a lone individual to slip inside but that’s just about it. She cannot see what’s inside; it is far too dark.

“Is this a pokemon den?” she asks, gesturing to the entrance.

“No.”

Her mentor’s voice sounded very close; she promptly turns to see Ezra hobbling behind her. “That was quick.”

“Give me a second,” he mutters as he brushes past her and steps towards the large and gaping hole in the wall, stopping just a foot or so away. “Stay there and don’t move, don’t make a sound.”

She goes silent, and she did not dare to peel her eyes away from the cave entrance where a figure is emerging from within.

A withered-looking Lucario with a greying muzzle and dirty golden fur steps outside and into the pit, wielding a wooden staff that is as tall as itself. It's what trainers coin as a 'shiny' pokemon, and these pokemon are extremely rare, especially in the wild. Puzzled, she watches as the pokemon greets her mentor.

Ezra's mouth moves but she cannot hear what he’s saying.

Then he stops and Lucario nods, and the man and pokemon turn to glance at her direction.

She strains to hear what they could possibly be conversing yet there is nothing, not even a pokemon cry, not the slightest rustle of the wind. Nothing.

It is silent.

The silence is suffocating to say the least and eventually, Lucario nods his head after the prolonged period of stillness. The pokemon turns and returns into the cave, disappearing into the darkness.

Placing his cane on the ground in front of him, he balances his palms over the handle. “Lucario has granted you entry.”

“…What?” she asks, a little anxiously.

Inhaling silently, Ezra replies, “There are greater things in our universe, greater than you and me. Even greater than pokemon.”

“What’s going on? What is a Lucario doing all the way out here? Where’s his trainer?”

“He doesn’t have one. This is his home,” Ezra mutters. “Now listen carefully. This is Gossamer Cave. A relic can be found here. A long time ago, I used it to destroy a demon that terrorised my wife and child. However, it is a highly dangerous weapon and you have to be ready to wield it, to understand its power and origins. If this is something you want, then you must go inside and fetch it.”

There are questions buzzing aplenty in her mind. “What does it look like?”

“You’ll know when you see it. My question for you is, do you wish to wield such a weapon? You might not like what you find out.” He mutters, before stepping aside, allowing her entry regardless of her response, regardless if she goes in or not.

She bites down on her lip anxiously but he does not offer any further words, no further advice or warning. She ponders to herself briefly, thinking about her parents, her sister and how they are all depending on her. Although she is nervous, she must cast aside these sinking feelings and surpass. She must be brave when no-one else is, when no-one else can. She must do it _for them_.

"I'm going in," she declares, and she passes him and enters the cave without further ado.

It’s dark.

She's greeted with the hypnotic splash of water dripping from the ceiling onto the floor and the marauding howl of the wind from outside that echoes and slips through the cave.

Lucario sits on a large rock to the left with the wooden staff balanced over its paws. It’s eyes are closed, deep in meditation. As she passes by, it does not acknowledge her presence.

Expecting Zubats or some other types of cave-dwelling pokemon, she’s stunned to see it is devoid of any other critter except from the aura pokemon.

A linear path lies ahead but she hits a dead-end.

Confused, she pats the wall in front of her, looking up and around. She checks for any cracks, any hidden passages. She checks every nook and cranny and leaves no stone upturned. She raps her knuckles over the walls, hoping for a hollow thud, a secret trap door perhaps?

There is nothing.

Disappointed and perplexed, she returns to the entrance.

“There’s nothing there," she says.

“I see. Then it’s not time yet. You still need more training, kid. You have a long way to go.” Ezra replies, unsurprised.

“I really don’t understand.”

“When you hear it, you will.”

“Hear what?”

“Tell me when you do, okay?”

Frustrated, she says, “Stop being so cryptic! What’s in the cave? What’s this relic?”

“You’ll find out when you’re ready. For now, forget what you saw and focus on your training. Focus on getting better, then you can come back.”

“Fine.”

Slipping his hands into the pockets of his withered coat, he begins to leave. She follows him with a sigh, mostly out of exasperation. Before she leaves however, she tosses a quick glance over her shoulder towards the abyss.

She was expecting to see something, maybe a shadow or a little flicker of light, maybe Lucario would come out again.

However, there is nothing.

* * *

**Present.**

You’ve grown quiet.

Leon watches as your brows scrunch with confusion, your expression souring. “What’s wrong?”

“Gossamer Cave,” you utter, before you grab his arm and exclaim loudly, “ _Gossamer Cave!_ That's it, Leon! _"_

Releasing him, you stand up, rush up the stairs and towards the bookshelves; he follows, watching you stop at a random shelf before you speedily skim through the books on the shelf, inspecting the titles quickly.

“Aha,” you murmur under your breath, pulling out a thick and burly red book from its place; it is an atlas of the Wild Area.

You beckon him over as you open the book, unfolding it to its full proportion over the floor. It’s not the most updated map but it’ll do for now.

Leon squats down beside you as you flip through the pages.

“Ezra took me to a place called Gossamer Cave ages ago. I can’t believe I forgot all about it. We took a Corviknight taxi, got off at the Dusty Bowl and we walked for a long time and there was a sandstorm, and then all of a sudden he stopped at a large pit. I’m supposed to tell Ezra when I start hearing things. He was so cryptic I didn’t understand what he meant back then but now I do. I can understand Gengar; I can hear what he says. That’s what Ezra meant. Leon, I’m ready.”

“Ready?” he murmurs, as you finally pinpoint the location on the map and begin scouring the page. 

You nod. “I’m ready to face it -- whatever it was that took my family away. I can fight it now. I just need to find Gossamer Cave.”

Leon’s expression is a conflicted one. “When the officials mapped out the Wild Area for the gym challenge, they never found any place called Gossamer Cave.”

“It must be there, I saw it with my own eyes. It was a cenote, but there was this entrance that led to a cave and I went in. It was guarded by a Lucario, and a shiny one too,” you reply, “I need to find it. There’s something there, and it will help me.”

…

Meanwhile, in Greyson’s cemetery, Absol has been biting and tugging at his coat all night, in a vain effort to force him to get up and leave. She has sensed something. However, Ezra merely chills on the steps, drinking his beer and she gives up, having grown rather weary, and has settled to curl up next to him. It’s then his ears pick up the sounds of footsteps a distance away.

The footsteps stop; a lone individual stands a foot away from him.

“ _Hello, you must be the exorcist of Greyson’s cemetery,_ ” says a distorted, muffled voice. " _Remember me?_ "

The voice is unrecognisable. Ezra inhales deeply, scrunching the beer can under his fist. “…Something I can help you with?”

“ _Yes_ ,” the voice leers. “ _You can die right here and now!”_

A massive unseen force promptly smashes the steps of the mausoleum in half, sending stone and debris flying into the air; it stands, retracting its claws with a grin as the dust clears away, before peeking left and right.

Ezra has disappeared.

“ _Where are you_ ,” it hisses with a chuckle as it lifts up rocks and debris, flinging them to the side and digging its claws into the earth, cackling with mirth, “ _Where are you, exorcist?? Come out, come out, wherever you are. I won't hurt you - much._ ”

A growl emits from behind and captures its attention; as it turns, it is swiftly knocked off its feet as a white and black blur slams into its body and sends it flying into a cluster of tombstones. Absol lands on her paws with a growl as Ezra appears from behind the fountain, unharmed.

“Good job, Absol,” he murmurs, his eyes narrowing at the entity that struggles to get up. “Percutiet.”

Sending a talisman at its direction, the little paper automatically attaches itself to the entity’s head and administers a painful shock. The entity roars with pain briefly before erupting into a fit of hoarse, mocking laughter.

“I know it’s you, Spiritomb,” Ezra says. "Use Slash.”

Absol’s attack connects with a loud _thump_ and all goes still. Shortly, a harrowing shriek of pain shatters the silence. Ezra recalls the talisman; it disappears into thin air in little wisps and the man sprawled over the tombstones grunts and groans as he sits up, rubbing his injured chest in agony.

“Huh? What…? Where am I? What happened…? Um, what am I doing here…?” he mutters, disoriented.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I looooove greek mythology, and also any myths in general. Pokemon has a lot of interesting areas and lore which they introduce into games and sometimes they are quite gray so often I feel there are a lot of things are ripe for interpretation or expansion so the part at the beginning of this chapter, and I think this was probably when Pokemon first came out, and people were saying pokemon was animal abuse.
> 
> 2\. The family's Sableye and Haunter are most likely to be dead - although they're mentioned to be missing, they're not with Reader. Since I picked this fic up after Christmas break, I never mentioned or thought about what really happened to them, but this would unfortunately be their fate :( I'm so sorry that this is so sudden, I've gone back to chapter 14 to amend some things.
> 
> Also I’m now addicted to Genshin impact right now so I’m gonna go play byeeee


	26. Away From the Maddening Crowd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to party! Leon's match with Volkner creeps up and Jace has something to tell you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 17.02.2021
> 
> My fics seems to involve parties quite a bit. Anyway here's Leon's version.

**Away From the Maddening Crowd**

…

…

[ _Aura:_

1\. A form of spiritual energy described as the essence of every living creature.

2\. There were humans who could sense Aura and control its power. These humans were known as Aura Guardians and they traveled around doing good deeds and passing on their skills to those who also possessed this innate ability. However, they also disappeared from history, for some undisclosed reason.]

…

…

In the early morning, you head to the cemetery to find Ezra, only to discover it is empty and the stone steps to the mausoleum have been destroyed. 

Whilst you wonder what could have happened, a note weighed down by a rock near the abandoned mausoleum is your clue and you peel it off, scanning the contents. It’s been written in Ezra’s messy handwriting and it says:

[ _I’m on a case and have gone out to do some investigation. Be back soon.]_

“I hope he's okay,” you utter under your breath as you pocket the note; it occurs to you that you don't worry about Ezra often unless it's to do with his general wellbeing and health. He's never bothered you with his own missions and you don't doubt his proficiency in handling evil spirits.

You had wanted to ask him about Gossamer Cave but it looks like you’re on your own for the time being so you return home where Magnolia has some nice, piping hot breakfast waiting for you when you announce your return. You will also be going shopping with Sonia later to find a dress for the party Leon invited you to.

At the table, you sit with various atlases and maps in front of you, along with your laptop propped open as you drink your soup and munch on toast.

“What are you doing?” Sonia asks, as you bury yourself nose-deep in a book.

“Ezra took me to a place called Gossamer Cave in the Wild Area several years ago, I can’t seem to find it anywhere on any maps.”

“I don’t recall there being a place called Gossamer Cave in the Wild Area,” she replies as she casually spreads some cheri berry jam over her toast with the knife. “Why are you looking for it?”

“Never mind,” you utter quickly, “it’s probably changed names or something.”

Strange thing is, none of these atlases or maps show any caves or sinkholes within the Dusty Bowl area at all.

Frustrated, you put down your work to focus on your breakfast, though today’s newspaper headline becomes your next highlight.

The front page is covered with content about Flora’s murder. You read all about it: her mother has been found guilty to manslaughter. Hank has been released, and Frankie will be returning to boarding school...though you didn’t receive any further follow-up from her.

A section concerning Leon’s upcoming match with Volkner is also squashed beside the article. You skim through it and turn to the next page, spotting a large photo of Leon so you grab some scissors and snip it out carefully.

Sonia giggles as you slip the photo into your journal. You’ve begun a small collection to show unwavering support for your boyfriend, cutting out any articles or photos about him from all sorts of magazines or newspapers you come across.

You’re certain his mum and Hop do the same so it’ll be interesting to share what you have collected in the future.

Meanwhile, Magnolia wanders around the kitchen, asking, “Has anyone seen Sunkern and Cutiefly?” She’s checking the cupboards and under the table. “Sunkern? Cutiefly? Where are you?"

“Did you check the conservatory?” Sonia asks.

“I already did, they’re not there.”

“Where was the last place you saw them?” you ask.

“I left them playing together over there,” Magnolia replies in confusion, gesturing to a potted plant near one of the windows, “and now they’re gone.”

You and Sonia leave your seats to assist the professor with the search but unfortunately have no luck locating the two pokemon and Magnolia gives up for the time being. Maybe they have managed to bounce off somewhere to play and will return later. The pokemon have gone off to play before.

“Sunkern, Cutiefly, are you upstairs?” Magnolia can be heard as she disappears up the staircase.

After breakfast, you and Sonia get ready to go out until the doorbell rings and Runerigus stops washing the dishes to float over, opening the door.

“Oh, hello there, sir!” exclaims a cheerful voice and both you and Sonia leave the room and into the landing, peering over the railing to see Leon’s mum at the doorstep with Hop and Wooloo by her side. “I’m looking for…”

She says your name and you and Sonia exchange glances before quickly heading down the stairs and Leon’s mum spots you; she smiles widely at your arrival, waving cheerily and Runerigus hops backwards to give you more space.

“Hello my dears!” Leon’s mum greets you two, “how are you?”

“We’re fine, thank you.”

After the pleasantries and small talk are over, she says, “I have a favour to ask you-“

“Muuuuum,” Hop whines in the background as she grabs him and steers him towards your direction, smiling widely.

“Can you please look after my Hip-Hop whilst I take the grandparents to the community centre?”

“Mum, I’m old enough to look after myself,” Hop wails, only to be ignored.

“Sure, Sonia and I were going to go out shopping so Hop can join us."

Hop’s eyes brighten up at once. “You are? Where are you going?”

“Wyndon Shopping Centre,” Sonia replies.

“Take me with you!” Hop abruptly yells, pumping his fists into the air and Wooloo bleating happily beside him.

Leon’s mum claps her hands together with glee. “Excellent, I’ll leave Anthony Hop-kins in your care then.”

“Muuuuum!” Hop wails in horror, his face reddening whilst you and Sonia giggle.

“Goodbye!” she says after pecking Hop on the cheek and ruffling his hair, before she dashes to their car which is parked in the front lawn near the bench. It resembles a Charizard. “Have fun, Hop! I’ll be back to pick you up by five!”

“Okay, bye mum!”

You watch as she steers the car out and onto the main road, chugging out of sight in minutes.

“Well, looks like you’re stuck with us,” Sonia says, and Hop turns round to you with a grin, folding his arms behind his head.

Hop nods. “Are we going now?”

“Yep!”

“Awesome!”

You quickly don your shoes whilst Sonia fetches her car keys; she will be driving you to the shopping centre. Magnolia sees you off and you’re about to enter the car when a stone smacks into the door from out of nowhere, just inches from the handle and promptly drops to the ground.

A look of annoyance crosses Sonia’s face at once as the stone rolls close to her feet and she looks up and around. “Hey! Who did that?! Who’s there?”

Another stone is tossed at the car, this time, aimed at one of the lights and your group turns round to see a little boy emerging from one of the bushes close to the house with a pile of stones in his hand.

“Witch!” he yells, pointing at you accusingly.

You remember this youngster; he was part of the trio who had ambushed you outside the lab the night when Leon had gifted you the flowers. You had spared him (although you thought your pokemon had taught him a lesson but it seems unlikely) and now he’s back with a vengeance.

“Hey, what gives, Johnny?!” Hop yells furiously, before he rolls the sleeves of his coat higher over his arms and promptly marches over.

Johnny? Must be a classmate of Hop’s.

“Hop, wait-“ Sonia says, but Hop’s almost nose-to-nose with the smarmy-looking kid.

“Shut up, Helmet Hair!!!” the boy yells; it dawns to you that this child and Hop are potentially the same age, being almost the same height and all.

“H-helmet hair?” Hop croaks out, wide-eyed.

“Hop, ignore him, let’s just go,” you mutter, but he shakes his head rigorously.

“No way! I’m defending your honor!” Hop yells. “Leave her alone! What she’d ever do to you?”

“My mum and dad says she’s an evil witch and must be destroyed! Anyone helping her must be destroyed too!”

“What?!” Hop and Sonia exclaim in unison.

“Go Spearow!” yells the kid; he tosses a pokeball into the air to reveal a small but familiar and rather mean-looking bird who flaps its short wings in the air before it quickly zooms towards Hop and Wooloo. “Quick Attack!”

“Dodge it, Wooloo!” Hop yells, and Wooloo acknowledges the instruction with a bleat and rolls to the left, successfully evading the assault. Hop scurries to the side, taking an offensive stance and placing some distance between him and his opponent.

A mini battle is taking place; Hop’s skills are impressive as he coordinates with his pokemon and swiftly instructs Wooloo to attack. You and Sonia quickly rush to a safe spot to observe with Sonia actively cheering for him.

“Go Hop, go!” she exclaims, and Hop tells Wooloo to counterattack with a Tackle.

The Spearow avoids by flying to the right and responds with a Peck attack. Wooloo cries out, squeezing its eyes shut as the bird pecks at its head aggressively.

“Wooloo, no!” Hop yelps, as the sheep struggles.

“Spearow, finish it off with a Fury Attack!”

“Not on my watch!” Hop shouts, “Wooloo, use Defense Curl!”

The sheep abruptly rolls into a tight ball and Spearow’s attack bounces off its large and fluffy hide, reducing the attack to nothingness.

“Now use Tackle!” Hop instructs and Wooloo springs out of its curled form to rapidly ram itself against the bird that had come too close for comfort.

Wooloo successfully knocks out the rampaging Spearow and it flops to the ground, out cold and unmoving. It was a critical hit!

“Well done, Hop!” you and Sonia cheer, whooping loudly whilst the punk kid named Johnny growls under his breath and returns his fainted pokemon into its capsule.

“Y-you’ll pay for this!” he yells before he rapidly spins on his heel and sprints down the path and out of sight.

“I won!” Hop cheers and everyone exchanges high fives when he rushes up to you happily. “That was sooooo awesome! And Wooloo!!! You were amazing!”

He picks up the sheep and throws her around in the air and in circles. Wooloo bleats loudly in response and they both share an embrace.

“Hey, he didn’t give you any prize money,” you pipe up.

“Eh, it’s fine.”

“Alright, shall we go? We’re running late,” Sonia says, nudging her head to the car and opening the door; Hops scrabbles into the backseat with his pokemon.

“Come on, let’s go!!” Sonia honks the horn whilst Hop pokes his head out of the window.

“Yeah!!! Let’s goooo!” he echoes loudly.

“Coming,” you reply.

…

When the car has left and is out of sight, a pokemon emerges from its hiding place in the shadows.

It had been watching your group the entire time before it stares at the direction where the boy had run off to. It had wanted to follow you, but it cannot pass up on this opportunity.

Hovering in the air, it floats silently towards the boy’s direction with a smirk, having found its prey.

…

Sonia’s brought you to a boutique which is immensely popular and trending in Galarian Chatot and so the shopping excursion begins. Hops lags behind with his arms folded behind his back, glancing around inquisitively.

“Well, what do you think?” she says with a cheery smile plastered on her face.

“It’s so bright and shiny here,” Hop remarks with a groan.

“It’s huge,” you blurt out, glancing around.

“Yep!! Let’s begin!”

The store is beautiful, with décor out of a fairytale book or a princess castle. With pale pink walls adorned with lacy drapes and fake roses, plush white rugs and plastic models of fairy pokemon standing beside mannequins, saleswomen and men dressed in exceptionally smart suits and skirts rush to the aid of their well-off patrons whilst you and Sonia head unnoticed to the dress section.

You had told Sonia you were wanting to wear something red (but not as flashy as the Miss Motostoke dresses) so she quickly locates where all the dresses of a variety of plum, crimson or scarlet shades have been grouped together.

Bored, Hop sits down on the plushy ottoman provided and Sonia begins rifling through one of the racks. You’re not sure where to begin exactly so you start at the opposite side and browse on your own.

Recalling Leon’s outfit in your mind, you hope to find something suitable but all you come across are styles that are simply too girly, too lacy, too short, too long, too pink or too purple or too peachy for your liking.

“Here, try this one,” Sonia approaches you with several dresses protected by plastic covers looped over one arm. “This one too.”

She hands you two dresses.

“And this one.”

A third is placed under your care.

She lifts up a fourth; it’s scarlet and full of ruffles. “Hmm, not this one. Let me put it back…”

A saleswoman rushes over to help you out. “Let me get those for you, madam…” she says, scooping them out of your hands.

“Thank you.”

“Can I help you with anything?”

“Nope! We’re good,” Sonia says, returning to your side, “here, you should try these on.”

The dressing rooms are an equally pink abomination, with thick white drapes and an abundance of fake roses sewn over them. Sonia squeals with glee and takes several selfies with the curtains whilst Hop and Wooloo sit down on the white leather couch in front of your cubicle.

“You okay, Hop?” you ask, and he nods. “Are you hungry?”

“Not yet.”

“We’ll get something to eat afterwards.”

“Okay,” he replies, before he grins widely at you. “I am kinda thirsty though.”

You remember there was a smoothie bar outside the shop and you fish some money out of your pocket, handing it to him. “Here, get yourself something to drink.”

He blinks his golden eyes before his cheeks turn pink. “Oh, um, I-I shouldn’t…mum says I shouldn’t-“

“It’s okay, Hop, go ahead.”

He grins widely at you in response. “Thanks, mate!”

You smile and watch as he sprints off, then you disappear into the cubicle and pull the curtain back, lifting up one of the dresses to eye level. Sonia has chosen an exquisite one-shoulder cardinal red dress. You hurriedly slip out of your clothes and slip it on, the silky material slinking over your belly and hips.

“Wow,” you cannot help but croak out; you’ve never worn anything so fancy before in your life.

As you stand in front of the mirror, you hear Sonia saying, “So? How is it? Let me see!”

“Okay, hold on,” you murmur, before you pull the curtain back.

Sonia is lounging lazily and sits up properly once you appear; Sonia lets out a gasp of awe, her eyes lighting up. “You look great!!”

“…I’m not sure about this one. Let me try on the next one.”

Disappearing inside the cubicle for a second time, you shimmy out of the dress and put the next one on; outside and you can hear Hop returning.

“Hey, what’d I miss?”

“Nothing much,” Sonia replies with a giggle, and you pull the curtain back, stepping outside.

Hop is sipping on a large smoothie and he looks at you up and down.

“What’d you guys think?” you ask.

“I like it!” Sonia exclaims.

“Are you sure? Something doesn’t feel right,” you utter. “Hop?”

He puts a hand under his chin. “I agree. It’s not Lee’s style’s either.”

“Exactly. Too lacy, I think.”

With that, you pull the curtain and step out of the dress as carefully as you can, hang it back up properly and grab the next one in the queue. It’s mulberry red and off-the-shoulder. You also show Sonia and Hop for their opinions. On this occasion, Sonia dislikes it but Hop shows a thumbs up.

You’re also personally not too keen on this one either so you move onto the next dress. The next one is cinnamon rose, A-line and asymmetrical and the moment you don it, you stare at your reflection and realise it’s perfect; this is it.

This is the one.

Pushing the curtain apart for the final time, Sonia and Hop rise from their seats to gawp as you stand before them with a grin.

“It’s this one,” you say, “I’ll take this one.”

…

It's the day of Leon’s battle with Volkner, and the entire Galar region is abuzz with anticipation.

The TV blasts adverts about the match, informing people to get their hands on tickets as soon as they can as it is the ‘match of the century’ (despite all tickets being sold out six months prior). Convenience stores begin selling Leon and Volkner merchandise. Their faces are slapped everywhere you look – on milk cartons, train tickets, billboards and posters. Everyone’s celebrating.

You realise it’s rather nice to be part of something as important as this, as you queue in the stadium with your VIP pass in hands.

Prior and you did tell Volkner that you had given your ticket to Jace since you already possessed a Wyndon Annual Pass. Your seat for the match is front row, in a block on Leon’s side, which is considered one of the best seats of the entire stadium. Leon had really gone all out to ensure you would be able to get a good view.

The party begins two hours or so after the match, and you aren’t sure if that gives Leon enough downtime but you presume he must be used to this kind of busy schedule.

You’re rather excited; you had purchased a pair of matching shoes and some accessories, namely a white corsage that will go with Leon’s outfit.

Everything’s going as you had planned.

“This is so exciting!” Jace exclaims as he waits beside you, holding a large box that’s carrying a carton of popcorn and a massive drink within. Joltik sits on his shoulder, with some kernels stuck to his fuzzy body and legs. “I didn’t think I’d ever get the chance to actually go in the stadium as a spectator! And we’re watching a match together!!!”

He proceeds to whip out a glittery blue and yellow sign that says “Volkner #1”. He’s not alone, you see a large group of Volkner fans up ahead, chatting loudly and wearing Luxray hats; they can be heard animatedly discussing his strategies and his pokemon. Meanwhile, Leon fans wearing copies of his signature snapback and Charizard hats pass by, holding up signs that says ‘Leon #1’.

“I’m sorry, chuck, but I gotta cheer for Volkner, ya know?” he says.

“It’s fine, I’m going to be cheering for Leon.”

Jace scoffs whilst you crack a grin. “I don’t think we’ve hung out like this before, not for a long time anyway,” he says, before he scratches the back of his head. “…Actually, I have something to tell you.”

“What?”

“Volkner asked me if I wanted to work in his gym. He tried to get me a position a few years ago but I had moved to Galar by then,” he says quietly, and somehow you’re not liking where this conversation is leading.

“Are you leaving, Jace?” you ask.

Jace blinks blankly, before he nods.

“……..Oh,” you squeak out.

The stadium grows quiet.

The screaming fans, the chatter, the music in the background, the flashing videos….

None of those seems to matter to you anymore.

“Chuck?” he nudges you by the shoulder, “don’t worry, I’m not leaving immediately…so cheer up and let’s enjoy the match!”

The doors open and security begin to allow patrons to enter, causing many fans up ahead to scream and shout and the line begins to move quickly.

You breeze through security who checks your bag and you’re allowed in. Inside, fans can be seen running around with their friends and families and pokemon whilst stadium assistants divert lost fans to their seats.

With Jace, you find your block and navigate to your seat; the stadium is already alit with chanting fans and music from the massive TV screen that’s blaring various Macro Cosmos adverts. Very soon, the remainder of the seats soon begin to fill up and you are surrounded by thousands of adoring fans.

Jace swaps seats with the person beside you so you can be seated together and soon, the stadium lights go off and the crowd goes wild as a swirl of lights form on the pitch from the ceiling flicker on and circle wildly before a blond man with a moustache donned in a white and black football jersey arrives, cruising on his Aegislash.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Wyndon Stadium! My name is Dan and I will be your host today!!!”

The crowd erupts into cheers as he continues to introduce and outline the match before he gestures towards your direction.

“Welcome to the annual Galar-Sinnoh exhibition match! Today, we have Leon, our beloved Champion of Galar, who will be representing Galar’s finest trainers! Tonight, his opponent will be Volkner, who has come all the way from Sunyshore City, representing Sinnoh’s very best!” Dan introduces. “Please put your hands together to give a very warm welcome to Galar’s very best, the one and only….LEON!”

The stadium is booming with cheering and applause as Leon appears; you see his face shown on the TV screen as he strides onto the pitch, waving to the crowd. You can hear lots of high-pitched screaming.

“And now, please welcome the ultra-charismatic, the cool and collected, electrifying VOLKNER!!!!!”

At the opposite end, Volkner appears. He looks calm despite the sheer madness. The boisterous cheers and applause do not stop as the Champion strolls towards the middle of the pitch, ready to meet Volkner. You feel strange towards Volkner now, knowing that he’s offered Jace a job.

You’re happy for Jace, but this means he will be leaving Galar…

“Leon Leon Leon!” chants a row of girls nearer the back, and they break you out of your thoughts; they’re holding massive signs with Leon’s face on it, decorated with little lights and cardboard lovehearts.

“LEON!” someone screams in another block, “LEON, FUCKING MARRY ME! AND HAVE MY FUCKING BABIES!”

“LEEEEEEOOOOOOOONNNNN!” another fan roars, as though they are imitating a slow-motion reel.

You cannot tell if Leon can hear his loyal fans shrieking though he does look up and around with a smile as the camera flashes and the cameras roll from all over.

He offers a little wave and the audience goes wild.

You hold your breath as Leon and Volkner are finally within vicinity of one another, and they shake hands.

They exchange some words which you cannot hear due to being too far away, but when both turn round, Leon spots you in the crowd and grins.

You smile in response and wave.

Dan steers his Aegislash between the two contestants, holding up two flags – one black and one white. With a blow of the whistle, he raises his arms, the flags in the air.

“Match, begin!”

….

It’s time for the party.

The match is over.

Volkner lost.

You leave the stadium, hoping to get the chance to see or speak to Leon but from his forced smile and the slightest drop of his shoulders which he quickly corrects before anyone catches on, you can tell how exhausted he is and as he enters the corridor and out of sight, you see a group of reporters and their camera men trailing after him, shouting and yelling over each other, desperate for post-battle interviews and photos.

Leon is shortly followed by Chairman Rose and Oleana and they’re also surrounded by the paparazzi, but they ignore the group and venture off to where Leon had disappeared.

It’s not the appropriate time to see or speak to him. You will meet him at the party so you and Jace leave the stadium together before splitting up; you have to get ready for the upcoming party now and will find another time to catch up properly.

With Sonia’s help, you leave the house once you’re ready and take a Corviknight taxi to the Rose of the Rondelands where the party is taking place, arriving at reception just in time.

You find your name on the list, sign your name on the book and hand it back to the staff, who in turn, provide you with a black leathery mask.

“What’s this for?” you murmur.

“It’s for all the guests. Optional, of course, but part of the mystery and intrigue,” says the concierge, grinning.

“Cool.”

With the mask in hands, you lift it up and over your eyes, then tie the straps securely over the back of your head.

A set of double doors manned by two smart-looking gentlemen in suits is your next destination and as you approach them, they open the doors for you and you step inside where a large and grandiose hall awaits you.

The interior is simply breathtaking, painted a crisp white and covered with classical antique paintings framed in gold of all shapes and sizes. Crystal chandeliers hang from the ceilings, casting little pearls of glittery light on the rich lush rugs under your feet. You stop to stare, soaking in the view with awe.

The hall is alit with the gentle chatter from the guests within and as you look around, no-one pays attention to your presence. Half of the guests are also wearing their masks, mostly the women. There is no-one here you recognize, mask or not, and you certainly blend in with no qualms.

A live orchestra plays in the corner, an ethereal but seductive melody emitting from their instruments. A few waiters and waitresses weave past you, asking if you are interested in champagne and canapes. You help yourself to several questionable-looking snacks that apparently costs four to five figures per piece and as you chew and swallow, your mouth is alive with unique flavors and tastes you have never experienced before.

It’s simply the best thing you have ever tasted; the food is exquisite.

Begrudgingly, you admit that Rose knows how to take care of guests.

As you ponder where Leon is, you scour for him silently until you spot a very handsome man standing behind the balustrade of the grand staircase at the far end of the hall; it’s none other than Leon and he’s dressed in the red outfit he had shown you the other day with his long hair neatly brushed and tied into a ponytail with a ribbon, a black mask securely fitted over his golden eyes.

You take a moment to admire how ravishing he looks, until he shifts to address a guest and you see an individual to his left; he’s not alone.

Miss Galar stands beside him…

…wearing a red dress.

There are other guests donned in crimson of course, but as you cautiously throw a quick glimpse to yourself, it occurs to you that you are both wearing a dress that are of similar shade. Against your control, you flit your gaze to her again to scrutinize her clothing; her dress is obviously far more expensive and shinier than yours.

You tilt your head to the side, feeling somewhat challenged somehow, and it’s an unfamiliar sensation to you; all in all, you wished she wasn’t wearing red either.

Leon finishes speaking to his group and he averts his gaze to the great hall; his eyes wanders the hall until he spots you looking up at his direction and your gazes meet. He studies you quietly, subjecting you to a sweeping look from head to toe and you hold your breath as the world shifts; everything seems to grind to a stop and time appears to have slowed down. Every individual in the hall dissolves into the background, grouping together into undecipherable blobs and blending with the walls, disappearing one by one, until it’s just you and Leon.

He stares at you for a long time, before he grins.

And he departs from his group, excusing himself politely, though Miss Galar looks like she wants to follow him.

He’s heading towards your direction and your heart flutters with anticipation; you watch as Leon strolls down the stairs, his eyes on you only.

However, the live orchestra crawls to a stop and a bright spotlight suddenly shines on Leon as he reaches the last step, effectively halting him in his tracks. The rest of the lights in the hall also disappear in a split second, bathing you and the remainder of the guests in darkness.

Leon throws his glimpse over his shoulder to see Rose standing at the top of the stairs, dressed in a sleek and shiny black tuxedo.

“Welcome ladies and gentlemen,” he begins, and the conversation dies down and the hall gradually simmers into silence as Rose makes his way down the stairs.

 _Talk about making a dramatic entrance_ , you think, as Rose thanks everyone for attending the party and goes on about something you don’t exactly care about.

He has Leon stuck under the spotlight and Leon has no choice but to smile at the guests.

Rose finally joins Leon’s side; they talk for a brief moment about the League, the exhibition match and Galar’s energy plant and some deal they had signed with Sinnoh’s Sunyshore gym. The guests applause and a toast is raised.

With all the formalities over, Roses smiles widely and holds an arm out, “Very good. Now let’s start this wonderful evening with a dance; our beloved Champion and our wonderful Miss Galar.”

Leon grows still; the mask does not cover the acute surprise evidence on his face.

Rose snaps his fingers, the conductor taps his baton and the first violins begin with a vibrant but complicated, fast opening before the rest of the orchestra joins in, playing a romantic waltz.

The guests begin to murmur to one another as Miss Galar smiles and heads for Leon’s direction; she gracefully steps down the stairs and as she appears by his side, Leon looks at you, then at Miss Galar.

She’s waiting.

You slide your gaze to the floor, dejected.

First dance or not, you had hoped you would be the one dancing with Leon, not her.

Miss Galar performs a curtsy, clutching the flimsy material of her dress in hands as she crosses one leg over the other and Leon bows, closing his eyes with one gloved hand on his chest and the other behind his back. He throws one look at Rose, who smiles widely at him in response.

Miss Galar giggles as Leon offers her his arm and they both head to the dancefloor; the crowd dissipates for them to allow them through and once situated in the middle, he slides a hand over her waist and she eagerly slips her hand into his and in tune to the music, they start dancing.

You watch the scene limply from your little spot until a tall man steps in front of you and blocks your view. You make no effort to move to a new place for a better view and head for the tables.

Leon and Miss Galar are soon joined by other guests and the ballroom becomes full with waltzing couples whilst the remaining guests stand, watching.

There is no intention for the waltz to stop anytime soon so you find an empty seat and sit down.

This really wasn’t what you had in mind for the party.

A waiter saunters up to you with a tray of champagne glasses. “Would you like some blanc de noirs, madam?”

“Yes, please,” you utter, even though you have no clue what blanc de noirs actually is, and you help yourself to a flute glass, tipping the rim to your mouth and downing a sip.

It burns the back of your throat but you welcome it and suddenly, a familiar voice says, “May I have this dance?”

You look up to see a familiar blond man before you. He’s dressed in a dark, navy blue suit with a matching gold, paisley pattern tie.  
  
“Volkner?”

“Good evening,” he murmurs, before he switches to a more informal tone, “Well. Shall we?”

“I’m not very good at dancing.”

“That’s not a problem for me.”

You smile at him in response as he holds his hand out to you. You debate whether it’s right to be dancing with another man, but it’ll be rude to refuse also so you take his hand and you both head for the dancefloor where the lights are brighter, and the couples are actually dancing faster than you realized.

It’s too late to back down now, as Volkner stands before you, slipping his hand around your waist and holding your other hand with his firmly. He leads and you’re a little stunned at how easily he guides you around the floor beside the other couples. You do your best to step in tune to the music from your practice with Leon, determined not to mess it up.

“I’m sorry about the loss,” you say.

“It’s fine, I’ll just have to try harder next time,” Volkner remarks.

“You were so close; one more move and Charizard would’ve been KO’d.”

“Indeed.”

You aren’t sure whether to mention to him that you’re aware he offered Jace a job but before you can get the chance to mention it, the beat of the music alters slightly and the women begin to twirl.

“Wait, what’s going on-“ you begin, but Volkner helps you spin a circle and back. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

You’re somehow close to Leon and Miss Galar from the twirling maneuver that shifts you closer to them than you would have anticipated, and Leon notices your presences immediately.

Leon’s eyes widens and in mid-dance, he twists his head round to stare.

“Leon, what’s wrong?” asks Miss Galar, but he doesn’t reply.

Volkner flicks his glance over to the astounded Champion whose gaze is pinned on your form, and smirks.

“What is it?” you ask, oblivious, but when the music changes again, Volkner twirls you in a circle in tune to the music and on this occasion, his hand leaves your waist altogether. He steps backwards and you say, “What’s going on?”

“We’re changing partners.”

And on cue, a young woman in a pale dusty blue dress twirls towards him whilst her partner steps towards your direction.

You weren’t aware of this arrangement and your new temporary partner offers his hand; you have no choice but to participate in this group dance and the music isn’t stopping.

From this, you learn two things – firstly, the women are required to spin twice with their partners before they swap. Obviously you and Volkner joined halfway in which is why you danced for such a short time with him. Second, and that being said, Miss Galar had hogged Leon all to herself for numerous twirls.

Either way, if that was deliberate or not, perhaps they are an exclusive pair or weren’t supposed to change partners or something…you’re not sure but either way, after your third or fourth partner, you see Volkner with his current dance partner making his way up to Leon and Miss Galar and you recognize the buildup of the song that indicates it’s time to twirl and change partner once again, your current partner spins you around and you wonder who your next partner is.

It’s probably that guy with the mousy brown hair who has started to eye you up from the side – but you’re finally free as your partner lets go, slides away and someone grasps your hand gently and a grip settles on your waist; you’re twirled round and into someone’s arms but this time, your partner curls his hand around you in a rather intimate manner which neither of your previous dance partners had done before and he pulls you close and against his chest, your faces millimetres away.

Looking up, your eyes widen when you realise who it is.

“Leon!” you exclaim, your lips spreading into a wide smile.

The Champion answers you with a wink.

From the corner of your eye, you see a rather confused Miss Galar being grabbed by Volkner before he spins her into his arms. 

The music starts up once more and with your hand tightly with his, Leon guides you around the dancefloor; your heart speeds up and you cannot stop smiling. His gaze never leaves you. This must be a dream, but an affectionate squeeze on your waist tells you otherwise.

Up ahead, and there is a rather wide opening within the circle of observers. Leon’s brows quirk up and he nudges his head to the opening which you spot as well. And as you turn, he expertly whisks you away from the rest of the dancers and into the crowd.

They are too busy to notice so you both slip unnoticed and Leon relinquishes his hold on your waist, your hands looped tightly together.

Away from the maddening crowd, you and Leon make your way out of the great hall and towards the large set of double doors that are now unmanned.

They lead to the garden and you both slip outside into the night, grinning widely; the Rondeland's garden is equally impressive as the great hall, with a huge stretch of grassy land filled with multicoloured flowers, lit up by lanterns strategically placed from one another to provide a dimly lit setting.

A large but impressive, neatly-trimmed hedge maze and a massive fountain stands in front of the steps where Goldeens and Seakings made out of stone leap and frolic in the air, water bubbling out from their mouths. The gurgling flow of rushing fresh water is accompanied with the vibrant buzzing of several wild bug pokemon that flutter past.

Stopping in front of the fountain, you’re panting as you both turn to each other; your eyes meet for a second time and Leon’s grin widens as you proceed to lunge towards him, pouncing onto his chest and throwing your arms around his shoulders.

He bundles you up immediately, pressing you hard against his chest as he comfortably encircles his arms around your waist and buries his nose into your neck. You laugh as his hair tickles the curve of your cheek and Leon picks you up and off the ground an inch or so to spin you around in a small circle before settling you back onto your feet.

He's grinning widely from ear to ear, looking at you up and down and soaking in the sight.

"You look lovely," he murmurs.

"Thank you," you reply shyly, your cheeks feeling warm as you reach up to fiddle with the hem of his white cravat absent-mindedly. He watches your actions with interest as you utter, "And you look very dashing tonight, sir Champion. You really suit the colour red."

Leon chuckles as you silently preen him and gently sweep away some of his long hair. You dust and brush your hands over his broad shoulders before you run your fingertips over the impressive black lining and stitches of his coat and the gold buttons.

Before you pull away, he catches your hand with his, lifting your knuckles to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss over your skin. You blush heavily in response as he nudges his head towards the garden with a smile.

"Shall we go for a walk?" 

With a nod, you're both grinning widely as you loop your arms together and proceed to walk down the steps and towards the fountain.

"What if someone notices you're missing?"

The music from the grand hall is growing fainter as you stroll further into the garden with the Champion by your side but it doesn't appear to be stopping anytime soon.

Therefore, Leon shakes his head and says, "No, they'll be dancing for another hour or so."

"What if someone sees us?"

"Then I'll introduce you," he replies. "Did you find anything else about Gossamer Cave?" 

"Unfortunately, no. I went to find Ezra this morning but he'd gone to work on a case."

”I was thinking,” Leon says, “you said you saw a shiny Lucario in the cave.”

”Yeah.”

”Lucario are known as the aura Pokemon. They also hold powers no ordinary humans possess. Do you think that’s what Ezra could have meant?”

You pause slightly, before turning to him with a smile. “Leon!” you utter, “what a brilliant observation.”

He blushes, cheeks growing red. “Ah, well... I wanted to help so I looked up as much information as I could find for you.”

“Thank you.”

You're halfway through the garden, venturing down the path which is lined with professionally-clipped hedges fashioned into Roselias and Roserades and you arrive at a small clearing with a pond and you leave Leon's side to hop onto a rock and despite your high heels, you carefully step over them, maintaining your balance by holding your arms out. A Goldeen and Barboach lurking within the murky depths look up at you for a split second or so before quickly zipping away from the surface to hide within some tall reeds, leaving behind shimmering ripples in the water under the moonlight. 

Leon promptly comes scurrying after you with his arms out. "Be careful," he says as he grabs your hand; you neatly finish one lap and hop off and into his awaiting arms with a grin.

He gives you a lopsided smile in return and you're suddenly aware of how close you are standing together and he hasn't looked away from you.

"I missed you," you murmur.

"Me too," he replies.

He holds your gaze and you daren't look away; his honeyed eyes pinned onto your form. It's quiet now, the faint music emitting from the hall has slowly ebbed away into nothingness as you and Leon stand close and all you can hear is your beating heart. He takes one step closer and gently cups your face with one hand; he begins to lean forwards, his eyes closing.

You allow your eyes to close in anticipation of a kiss. Yet before your lips can meet, a tiny crystal blue light gently bobs its way into the little gap between you and the Champion, hovering up and down in the air playfully. It's unwarranted presence causes you both to stop as it's soon joined by other little lights of various shades, twinkling in the dark in beautiful colours of red, pink, yellow and green and as you and Leon glance around, more and more of the lights appear. In seconds, you are surrounded and illuminated by the small lights that have seemingly appeared from nowhere.

"...Aren’t these the same lights we saw in the Slumbering Weald?" Leon utters.

As you peer at the little blobs inquisitively, you nod and lift your arm with your palm out, allowing a small cluster to float over and settle in the base of your hand, illuminating the base of your chin with an iridescent, warm glow.

"They are. I wonder what they're doing here?" you reply, smiling as you prod at the orbs with a fingertip.

It sends them flying into numerous directions before they gently float backwards and towards you; they continue to swarm, bathing you and Leon with their ethereal light.

"They're attracted to you," Leon says.

”...Maybe I got it wrong, maybe they’re not just fairy lights, but...aura?” you mutter under your breath.

Whilst you ponder the true nature of the lights, Leon watches you for a brief moment before he leans forwards and presses a gentle kiss over your forehead. You stiffen slightly, as he proceeds to tuck a stray strand of hair from the side of your face to behind your ear. Your heartbeat soars, and you look up as the side of his palm brushes against your cheek.

”Leon?”

"I never told you how beautiful you looked that night," he murmurs, and you smile.

With his hand over your cheek to keep you in place, Leon brings you forwards and leans down to meet your lips in a passionate kiss.

...


	27. Spiritomb's Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spiritomb attacks!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 22.02.2021
> 
> Hi everyone hope you're well. Uh so I've run out of ideas and I'm seriously struggling, so I'm just gonna go ahead and update this next chapter. It's pretty much Spiritomb's case.
> 
> WARNINGS: Another level of pokemon madness, graphical violence, torture, blood, death. This is a pretty brutal chapter. Apologies if this upsets you.

**Spiritomb’s Revenge**

…

…

["I suppose I should be upset, even feel violated, but I'm not.  
No, in fact, I think this is a friendly message, like ‘Hey, wanna play?’  
And yes, I want to play.  
I really, really do.”

\- Dexter]

…

…

**Wyndon Police Station.**

The station is in uproar. The lines have been ringing off the hook since early morning and have not stopped since. It is now lunchtime, but it looks like no-one will be able to grab a bite to eat.

In Postwick, roughly 11am, a man attacked a woman with her baby as she took a stroll near the Slumbering Weald. The suspect is still at large.

In Turrfield, twenty minutes later, an old couple were robbed at point-blank and subsequently beaten to death. The suspect then fled into Route 5. Searches proved ineffectual.

In Hulbury, half an hour later, a woman had reportedly jumped into the sea. Divers are still searching for her.

In Motostoke, ten minutes later, a middle-aged man fell to his death after he was pushed over the railing of the second level of the city by a young girl. The young girl has been brought into questioning but does not recall any of her actions.

In Hammerlocke, the CCTV of the vault picked up a masked individual attempting to steal the treasures within. The suspect was later apprehended but has no recollection of the incident. It was later revealed he is a kiosk worker at the stadium and he was on his lunch break.

There’s plenty more, at least five to six maximum cases of assault, robbery, suicide, manslaughter, murder or other petty crime per city and it’s doubling as the hours go pass, and Graves rubs his chin as waves upon waves of police officers report to him a startling increase of unrelated, independent events.

This is very strange. This has never happened before in Galar. This is madness. The reporters and journalists have already jumped on this, firing out Breaking News and Shocking Stories of a region overtaken by madness. They call it _mass hysteria_ whilst some people are debating, calling it domestic terrorism.

There are worse reported crimes taking place in bigger cities like Wyndon and Hammerlocke, where concentrations of civilians are higher. Have all the criminals decided to let loose today? Is this some cult movement? Some online, social media movement?

After barking some orders to his colleagues and coordinates, Graves quickly weaves into his office and picks up his phone to call his god-daughter.

“ _Hello?_ ”

He’s grateful she picked up. “It’s me.”

“ _What’s up?_ ”

“What’s up? _What’s up?_ Have you not been watching the news?”

“ _No, I’m outside with Jace. We’re at the airport to send Volkner off_.”

He grumbles. “Goddamnit, go home when you’re done, you hear me? Stay home tonight. The whole region’s gone crazy.”

…

**Wedgehurst.**

The old woman knocks on the front door of the quaint little detached house with her Applin in her hand and waits. A short while later, footsteps can be heard approaching; it opens and a little boy peers through the small gap of the door.

“Hullo,” he says.

It’s Granny Smith. She lives next door and bakes him and his family plenty of apple pies.

She gives him a wide smile, the wrinkles on her face bunching together. “Hello Johnny!” she says in her soft and gentle voice, “is everything alright? I heard some very loud noises…”

The boy cocks his head to the side as she tries to sneak various peeks inside the house; he keeps blocking her, darting his head to the left as she bobs to the right and so forth.

“What loud noises?” he asks, the corners of his lips tugging upwards into a small smile.

“Just some very strange, very loud noises,” she says, “where's your mother?”

“Out.”

“Where's your father?” she asks, before she sniffs and giggles. “What a lovely smell.”

“Yes. My dad is in the kitchen, making lunch.”

“Oh, how lovely. And here I thought you were in trouble for a moment there. Have you seen the news? It’s utter chaos out there today.”

“No, as you can see…everything’s _fine_.”

She nods in agreement, stroking Applin’s tail. “I’ll be off then. Sorry for bothering you.”

“Goodbye,” Johnny says, then he promptly slams the door shut. It trembles violently in its doorframe with a loud ‘slam’.

“Oh," squeaks granny, a little startled.

She slips Applin into her bag and begins to shuffle out of their front lawn, throwing a glance over her shoulder; she sees him peeking at her retreating back behind the safety of the drawn blinds of their living room and when he’s caught, he ducks from sight.

When she’s away from view, Johnny leaves the lounge and into the kitchen where two chairs stand side-by-side and a man and woman are bound by plastic nylon cable ties, their arms fastened behind their backs and their ankles tied together.

Their mouths are covered by gags fastened securely around the back of their heads and as the boy approaches with a grin, they flail and shake their heads violently, their shouts for help muffled.

…

“Who was that?” Jace asks as you hang up the phone.

“Graves, he said there’s a sudden spike in crime in Galar today and told me to be careful,” you utter.

“That’s weird, I wonder what’s going on.”

You have a bad feeling about this. “Jace, let’s go.”

You are with Jace at Galar International Airport; Volkner has left Galar. He’s already boarded his flight to Sinnoh and should have taken off by now, having thanked you and Jace once again for the hospitality.

With coffees in hand, you and Jace head for the train station that will take you to Wyndon where you will get a Corviknight taxi home.

“I better give Leon a quick call,” you murmur, and Rotom quickly dials the Champion for you.

It rings for a few seconds before it’s picked up.

“ _Hey_ ,” says Leon, and despite the noisy background, you can hear the excitement and affection in his voice when he greets you. You’re certain you can hear him grinning, too.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“ _Yep! Everything alright?_ ”

“Graves said there’s a lot of crimes today, he told me to be careful.”

“ _I haven’t heard, I’m doing a photoshoot for Densoku right now_ ,” he replies. “ _Where are you? I’ll be done soon; I can come get you when I’m finished_.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine, I’m with Jace right now. We’re good. I just wanted to check up on you, that’s all. I’ll check if Hop and your mum are okay when I get back to Wedgehurst.”

“ _Okay, thanks, that would be great."_

As you continue your conversation with Leon, Jace sips his coffee quietly and you hang up. He’s still feeling lukewarm towards Leon, neutral towards your relationship with the Champion.

“Is he okay?” Jace mutters, and you nod.

Whilst you wait with tourists and commuters on the busy platform along with their pokemon, this is a perfect opportunity to discuss with Jace about his new job.

“I thought about it for a long time, and I decided to go for it. I’ll be an electrician at Sunyshore gym,” he says, “Volkner’s always tried to get me a job but I didn’t complete my training in time and when I did, all the jobs were gone.”

“Oh, so…you really are going to leave Galar,” you mumble.

A brief silence occurs; Jace glances at you worryingly and you look at him with a thin, watery smile.

“I’ll come and visit you.”

“I know you will.”

Eventually, the tannoy announces the train is approaching and to stay clear from the yellow lines on the platform; the train finally arrives, chugging to a gradual stop and the doors whoosh open.

A mix of tourists, and men and women in business suits with their pokemon pour out and the travellers on the platform, including yourself and Jace, pile into the awaiting carriage. Unfortunately all the seats are swiftly taken so you’re the only unlucky folk who have no choice but to stand, so you and Jace hog a small section near one of the doors, holding onto one of the handles as the train begins to move.

The conversation continues.

“I’m sorry, chuck.”

“Don’t be sorry! You’ve been offered a job you’ve always wanted! You can’t pass up on this opportunity.”

“Y-yeah, I know...I’ll miss you,” he murmurs, and he shifts his gaze to the window, watching the peaceful Galar scenery roll by. It changes from the industrial-looking airport to a highway full of speeding vehicles. Jace says, sighing, “I’ll miss you a lot.”

“Me too, but I’m really happy for you, Jace,” you reply, following his gaze to look outside the window, at the sheep pokemon.

The train enters a tunnel with a loud _fwoosh_ and the peaceful greenery is immediately replaced with an inky black screen; the windows go dark with your reflections and behind you, a tall and shadowy figure suddenly appears. 

The carriage grows cold, the temperature dropping and your body begins to tremble. Jace speaks but you can no longer hear him, his voice fading away into the background. In a split second, fear grips you like a vice, your heart grasped and squeezed, your chest about to pop. Your eyes promptly widen when you realise what is responsible for this, yet somehow you are able to move, to whip round to face the entity only to greeted with empty space and the carriage begins moving again, Jace's voice returning.

"-so I know I've always wanted to be an electrician but-"

His words fall on deaf ears as you frantically search the area with your gaze. There was no-one nearby; the seats are all filled with sleepy businessmen whilst a couple stands in the corner near the opposite doors playing with their Pokemon, who aren't affected.

"Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"A shadow," you utter. "There was something standing behind me the moment the train went into the tunnel."

Jace raises a brow and looks around you. "No, I've been standing beside you the entire time and didn't see anything. Are you okay?"

Unsure what to think of it, you hastily clear your throat and force a nod. "Y-yes, I'm fine. Never mind. Sorry, um...I'm probably tired; it was... probably just a trick of the eye," In an attempt to return to the conversation, you say, “You said you've always wanted to be an electrician?”

He nods. “Yeah, I’m really excited. I start in two months. That’ll give me time to get used to the region and find a place to stay. Volkner’s letting me stay with him for the first few months of course, but I should really find my own apartment…”

“You don’t sound so sure.”

He looks at you and smiles widely. “Ah, sorry! No, I am sure, it’s just…maybe I’m getting too attached to Galar. Chuck, would you…ever go back to Kalos?”

“I’m not sure. Probably not. Too many bad memories.”

“Hm, I see."

When the train emerges from the tunnel, the sunshine seeps into the train and the highway disappears, revealing bountiful green pastures full of grazing Wooloos and Dubwool.

However, you cannot shake off what you saw. 

Meanwhile, the small TV screen fixed on the train’s walls blasts out news of violent crimes appearing all throughout Galar.

When the train arrives in Wyndon, you and Jace split up and you take a Corviknight taxi to Postwick where you quickly check up on Leon’s family; they are fine, deciding to stay at home due to recent news.

Returning home, Sonia greets you. “Hey, you’re back! Ezra's here!”

"Huh?” you exclaim as you enter the house, slipping off your shoes.

You glance at the conservatory where you see a familiar old man in a black duster with an Absol seated quietly on one of the white sofas. A flowery teacup and teapot sits on the table for him, but he’s left it untouched. The fragile decorum contrasts heavily with his dark, grungy appearance. 

“Ezra!” you squawk as you head over. “You're here! I was worried about you, and there’s something I need to tell you-”

His eyes are closed and as you approach, he begins to cough, blood leaking out from the corner of his mouth and as you grab a tissue for him from the box, he shakes his head and wipes it away with his sleeve.

“I’m fine.”

“You need to go to hospital.”

“No, not yet; we need to stop Spiritomb,” he grunts.

“Spiritomb??”

“Yes, those crimes. They’re all Spiritomb’s doing. It’s going on a rampage.”

Sonia exchanges concerned glances between you and the old man.

“It’s possessing people…specifically those with immense evil in their hearts, and carrying out attacks before quickly leaving the host. It’s the work of the one hundred and eight spirits we sealed away,” he mutters, “they are clashing and fighting for control, with one personality taking over at one time… hence why the crimes that have been reported are so varied.”

“Got it,” you reply with a nod, and Ezra shifts to get up and off the couch. “Any leads?”

“Yes. I detected its presence in Wedgehurst. Let’s go now before it escapes.”

“Okay.”

“Wait!” Sonia intervenes at once, waving her hands in the air. “No, don’t go, this is too dangerous!”

“Don’t worry, Sonia. Ezra and I know what we’re doing,” you tell her with a smile.

It’s been a while since you and Ezra have worked together.

…

“The hate is strong in this one,” says Johnny, before he glances at the helpless couple he’s kept tied up in the kitchen, “I guess he has you to thank for that since you're the ones who raised him into such a disrespectful and vile spoiled brat. Let me give you a little taste.”

Sidling to the microwave, the two begin to cry with fear and flail against their bounds as he opens the door and pulls out the crudely sliced and half-cooked body of a Spearow, sliding the slushy, gooey red remains of the bird pokemon onto a porcelain plate before he grabs a fork and returns to the couple’s side.

“Open up,” Johnny says as he steps behind the father’s chair and pulls the gag out of his aching mouth.

His lips are crusted all over with spit, dry and wet, and the man shakes his head fiercely in a futile act of protest, hot tears streaming down his eyes as Johnny grabs a handful of the meat. Mangled flesh and deep red ooze drips over the boy’s small fist before he promptly smears the meat over the man’s mouth, his fingers and nails soaked with rancid blood.

The man fights to keep his jaws clenched tightly together in a desperate bid to refuse, but Johnny counters by gripping his chin tightly and with two fingers, roughly forces his jaw open, allowing him to stuff morsel after morsel down the man’s gullet. He chokes, gagging uncontrollably but Johnny merely picks the pieces up and rams them down his throat once more.

“Don’t waste food. There are starving children in some parts of the world,” he says.

The woman screams relentlessly at the morbid sight, squeezing her eyes shut with fright whilst jerking fiercely against her bonds, shaking and flinging her back against the chair as with as much strength as she can gather, the chair legs scraping an inch across the floor.

When the meat is all gone and the man is left rasping and panting, a few red blobs and chunks of flesh drop to the floor in messy piles, and Johnny abandons the now-empty plate in favour for a plastic bag he’s kept near the microwave, looping it over the man’s head and tying the handles firmly around the front of his neck.

Terrified, the man’s eyes dart left and right, the insides of the bag fogging over from his shaky breaths.

“Johnny! Stop!” the woman screams, and the boy briefly pauses in his actions to slap her harshly across the face with the back of his hand.

Her head snaps viciously to one side, hair strewn over her eyes. She goes silent from shock before she begins to sob, her cheek stinging.

“How dare you hit your mother!!” Johnny's father yells, his shouts muffled. With each word, each laborious breath, the flimsy and thin plastic of bag sucks into his mouth and out.

“Shut up,” snarls Johnny, taking a few steps backwards so he can stand proudly in front of his parents where they can see him properly.

Johnny’s smirk reaches all the way to his ears, his eyes crazed and maniacal. It’s a face not belonging to their son at all but a monster, and it sends them into muted shock.

“…You’re not my son,” the man spits venomously, wheezing as he struggles to breathe.

“You’re right,” says Johnny, “ _I’m not_.”

Nonchalantly, Johnny sidles over to a canister of gasoline he had kept propped up next to the fridge and unscrews the lid, allowing a strong but pungent, sweet smell to waft in the air.

With a hand on the bottom and the handle of the canister, the couple scream and splutter as he douses them, emptying the entire contents over their heads and bodies; the woman continuously shakes her head whilst sobbing and begging. The man howls in terror.

“Now for the grand finale,” the boy says, dumping the empty can to the floor and whipping out a lighter from his pockets, flicking it on with a jerk of his thumb and a little flame springs up and dances in the air, taunting the couple.

Relishing the sound of their screams, Johnny promptly drops the lighter.

A fierce barrage of red and yellow immediately engulf the kitchen in its entirety.

The fire licks at their bodies ruthlessly, and Johnny stands, his eyes dancing with delight. The flames reach his feet yet he doesn’t flinch; lifting his arms into the air horizontally, he throws his head up and closes his eyes and basks in the heat, failing to notice the letter box on the front door squeaking open and a voice whispering, “ _Prohibere eum_.”

A delicate, white paper crane subsequently flits inside, flapping its little wings as it bobs towards the direction of the burning kitchen.

The boy whips his head round to the doorway, eyes narrowing.

“ _Who’s there?!_ ” he snarls.

Spotting the crane, he stares at it limply for a few seconds until it unfurls, revealing strange symbols painted in red. Brows furrowing, his hand shoots out and he grabs it, scrunching it up tightly under his fist.

Unraveling his clenched knuckles, his palm is coated in patches of the strange red ink and before his very eyes, the ink blots merge together to form the symbols which promptly disappears into his skin like a dampened tissue.

“What?!” he yells in shock and confusion; the symbols soon make their presences known once again, this time, stretching all over his arm.

His body suddenly feels itchy all over. He dares to take a peek at a mirror magnet on the refrigerator to see the red symbols have appeared all over his face.

It’s too late; the exorcists are coming for him – and the boy immediately collapses over the floor, eyes closed.

His mouth is eased open and a purple transparent bubble slinks between the gap of his lips and continues to crawl out. It grows in size until it begins to form a distinct, ragged spherical shape, followed by a stone. A smooth, brown stone with a fissure in the middle. The creature crawls out of the boy’s mouth and slips over the floor in a puddle, just as the front door is abruptly kicked open and you step inside with Ezra.

“Sequimini eum!” Ezra yells, as Spiritomb attempts to make its frantic escape.

The pokemon is heading for the window – Gengar emerges from a shadow and fires a Shadow Ball at it – the attack misses and Spiritomb phases through the glass, vanishing outside.

“It got away!” you curse, but Ezra shakes his head.

“No, not this time. I’ll go after it,” he says, before he casts his dull gaze to the bodies on the floor. "Stay here and call an ambulance and the fire brigade.”

“Understood,” you reply, and Ezra abruptly leaves the house with Absol. “Gengar, follow Ezra, then come back to get me, okay?”

Your pokemon nods and merges with Ezra’s retreating shadow.

Water-type pokemon would be handy here but you do not have any so you hastily grab a blanket from one of their sofas, and with your pokemon’s help, you each grab a corner, soak it under the taps of the kitchen sink and throw it over the burning bodies.

The fire is extinguished at once, smoke fizzing out and into the atmosphere in thick wisps; the unmistakable stench of burnt flesh hangs heavy in the air.

Whilst you call for an ambulance, Mimikyu checks the fire alarm of the house which shows signs of being sabotaged, most likely Spiritomb’s doing. Vulpix slides a paw under the blanket to check the damage and shudders once she’s had a look, she settles the blanket back over their bodies.

Once the ambulance and firefighters are called, you leave the house.

Spiritomb is the most dangerous pokemon you’ve ever encountered.

It’s time to rejoin Ezra.

…

Meanwhile, Graves slows the car to a stop and pulls up at a gas pump outside Turrfield, Route 5. It’s been a crazy, hectic day and he’s on his way back to the police station when his car has run out of gas.

He rolls up his sleeves, pulling open the flap and feeding the nozzle inside. As the car fills up with petrol, Graves stands, whistling, looking around casually when he hears a woman’s earsplitting scream in the distance.

“What the hell…”

He eases the pump out, placing it into the holster and steps out, squinting his eyes at the horizon; a middle-aged woman comes running towards his direction, dishevelled and petrified beyond belief, the expression on her face full of nothing but terror. A short distance away, a familiar old man is limping after her along with an Absol.

It’s the homeless man called Ezra, whom his goddaughter is acquainted with. The ex-convict. The man who was jailed for murdering his wife and kid.

The woman he is chasing is screaming for her life, and when she spots Graves who rushes over, she heads for his direction and clings onto his arm. Her eyes are wide and panicky as she pants heavily, gesturing wildly to the pursuing Ezra.

“Help me, please! That madman is after me!!!” she shrieks. “He's trying to kill me!”

“Absol, attack!” Ezra commands, and the pokemon dashes towards them but Graves immediately reaches a hand behind his waist and pulls out Arcanine’s pokeball, tossing it into the air and releasing the canine pokemon.

“Stop! Take one more step or I’ll command Arcanine to attack!” Graves snaps, as Arcanine readies itself into an offensive stance, growling at Absol threateningly.

Immediately, passerby’s scream and begin rushing for cover, whilst the customers of the gas station run inside the gas station to hide.

Absol comes to a skidding halt, her paws kicking up dirt, but she snarls loudly at Graves and his pokemon and begins to pace back and forth as though ready to pounce at any time should her master willed it.

Ezra growls with frustration as the woman hides behind the Chief Inspector. “Inspector Graves. That woman has been possessed by an extremely dangerous pokemon,” Ezra barks, pointing to the woman. “A Spiritomb. It’s the culprit behind the recent crimes.”

Graves turns to the woman who throw her horror-stricken glance up to him. She blinks at him with widened eyes and shakes her head wildly. “He’s crazy!! Help me, please!”

“Arceus, you’re insane,” Graves utters under his breath, “ma’am, I’ll take you to the station where you can get help. Ezra, stay right where you are. Arcanine, watch over him and make sure he doesn’t move.”

“You’re making a damn mistake!” Ezra growls.

The old man takes a step forwards and abruptly stops, bowling over with a hand clutching his chest. Absol returns to his side, yowling loudly with concern as he enters a harsh coughing fit; his chest is on fire, his lungs pierced by a sharp, throbbing pain. As Ezra splutters and chokes, he drops on one knee, slapping a hand over his mouth in a futile attempt to prevent the uncontrollable rush of blood that’s spilling out.

Viscous red lines seeps through the gaps of his fingers, spilling over the concrete in little splotches. Absol wails with fright at the sight of her suffering master who inevitably collapses over the ground on his front, motionless.

"Ezra!" Graves yells, but he's effectively halted when the frightened woman tugs on his elbow.

“Oh, thank you,” she says, “thank you so much.”

“Ma’am, stay here.” He instructs. Graves isn't on bad terms with the priest though he doesn't trust him in any way, but he cannot leave Ezra like this so he recalls Arcanine, dips a hand to grab his Rotom phone to call an ambulance only to emit a cry of pain; the device falls out of his hand but luckily, the pokemon bobs back up before it completely meets the ground

“Sir, what’s wrong?” Rotom asks, only to witness the woman dropping to the ground as a purple swirl emerges from her mouth which has latched itself to Graves’ back; a purple mist encases his body and seeps into his chest as a purple tendril begins crawling towards his mouth. Horrified, the phone flits in the air helplessly. “Bzzzzrt! Zzztop! Zztop thizzz at once! Oh, Mazzzter, Mazzter Gravezzz! Zzomeone, help!!”

The creature vanishes and Graves’ eyes snaps open, now a bizarre shade of lime green; Rotom stares in horror as the entity grins and pats at his chest and looks at his arms before spotting the bridge that overlooks the Wild Area, connecting Turrfield and Hulbury together.

….

Gengar returns to tell you Ezra is in Turrfield, so you make your way over as quickly as you can and the shadow pokemon leads you to a gas station which is in chaos. Several vans belonging to various TV stations are parked outside along with their TV anchors standing and delivering live news and interviewing witnesses. A few locals stand behind the tape, pointing and whispering, whilst a puddle of blood has been outlined with a yellow chalk.

You manage to overhear the following:

“Yeah, so I saw this woman rushing up to this middle-aged dude, and then this old dude with an Absol came and the middle-aged dude pulled an Arcanine on him. Sick move, man.”

It’s utter pandemonium. Beside one of the gas pumps, you recognize Graves’ car from the license plate and head over, peering through the windows. It’s empty.

An ambulance is also parked closeby where you see Absol outside, howling mournfully with her head raised to the air.

“Absol!!!” you rush over, squatting in front of her. “What happened???! Are you okay? Where’s Ezra?”

Absol stops yowling for a moment to regard you before a voice worms inside your mind: " _My father is inside. He’s unconscious."_

“…..Cassie?” you breathe out in shock.

Absol blinks at you with her bright blue eyes before she continues howling once more. The doors to the ambulance subsequently open and you’re greeted with a paramedic who jumps out and you briefly see Ezra inside, lying on a stretcher with a breathing mask.

“Ezra!” you yell, “Can I go in? I know him.”

“His condition is stable, you can go in.”

“Thank you!” you climb inside the vehicle and the paramedics within are helping set up heart monitors and IV drips around him. “Ezra, I’m here.”

His eyelids open weakly and he mutters deliriously, “….Spiritomb….it’s taken your godfather…It took the guise of a woman…your godfather thought she needed help…Don’t mind me, go after the fool before he gets himself killed…he was heading for route five…”

“But-“

“Go,” Ezra urges, “I’ll be fine…..”

“O-okay. Take care.”

You nod reluctantly and leave.

…

You find your godfather in Route 5 as Ezra had mentioned, standing precariously on the ledge of the fifty-feet high bridge, overlooking the scenery of the Wild Area below. He’s barefoot and missing his suit, his hair messy, tie undone, shirt sleeves rolled to the elbows and looking very unkempt.

None of the TV crew have arrived yet, which you’re grateful for because you do not want the media to get involved with this fiasco.

However, it’s unavoidable that some people and their pokemon have gathered around, standing at a safe distance several feet away. Whilst some individuals are recording this scene on their phone, others are trying to talk him down but to no avail. Some are actively asking if there are any trainers with ice-type pokemon that can freeze him (no-one has any, unfortunately). Ultimately, no-one seems to know what to do.

“Let me through! I know him, I’m his goddaughter!” you yell, pushing your way through the crowd and making your way to the very front. “Graves!! _Graves_ – urgh, I mean, _Uncle Chris_! Don’t do it!”

Graves whips round yet you do not see his features, only a grinning mass of purple with green flecks. It’s Spiritomb, who grins maliciously at you.

“Get out of his body!” you growl angrily, gritting your teeth with rage.

“No, I like this body very much. The misery, the regret, the loneliness. He misses Ellen very much, he wants to be with her,” says Spiritomb, “and he misses your family, your father. He regrets not doing enough. You’re sad all the time because of him. He can’t do anything. He’s useless. He wants to die.”

The crowd go quiet, watching your interaction, though a kind-looking woman holds you back.

“Be careful, it’s best not to get too close because he’s very agitated right now. It’s best not to aggravate him or make sudden movements," she mutters.

You can hardly hear what she’s saying, the sheer panic and distress that you normally don’t experience during uncertain and dangerous times like these has suddenly kickstarted in your system.

“No!!!” you yelp in a desperate bid to get through to your godfather, “Stop it! Stop thinking like that!! I’m still here, I survived!!! You didn’t fail!! I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel like you’re useless. You’re not! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I’ll enroll in the police academy, okay? I won't make you worry for me anymore. I'm sorry!”

And Graves falters slightly, grumbling incoherently under his breath. Spiritomb's visage briefly vanishes as your godfather’s brows scrunch with confusion.

“You’re the only family I have left and I can’t lose you too! Please, Uncle Chris, snap out of it!”

Graves grumbles and groans in response to your pleas, his eye twitching.

You throw a sideways glance to Gengar; he’s lurking in your shadow and giving you a nod, silently travels over towards Graves’ direction.

And Spiritomb snaps, “ _Shut up!_ ”

Then he turns and jumps, just seconds before Gengar leaps out from the shadow to grab him. Missed.

People scream, whilst a few trainers release their bird pokemon and direct them to go after the fallen man and Gengar buries himself into the shadows once more.

You throw yourself to the ledge, peering over where you see Graves plummeting helplessly in the air. “No!!”

Your pokemon bursts out forth from Graves’ falling shadow but he is not close enough. His eyes glowing, Gengar’s eyes and claws turns red before he spins in the air and throws his arms up, forcibly extracting a purple blob out of Graves body – it’s Spiritomb, whom he’s now trapped in a glowing red forcefield. Spiritomb growls and resists, shooting several Shadow Balls against its confines to no effect. The attack hits the walls of the forcefield akin to cork bouncing against a brick wall.

However, Graves is still hurtling towards the ground despite Gengar’s attempts, and the bird pokemon swooping towards him aren’t quick enough either.

“Wait, what’s that in the air?!!!” someone cries, pointing to the sky.

Everyone follows the direction of his finger and you see a familiar flame pokemon heading for your group. It’s Charizard; he’s zooming towards your way and the crowd begins to cheer.

“It’s _Charizard_!!! The Champion is here!!!”

“YES!”

“Go, Leon!!!”

Charizard swoops past and dives, folding his wings close to his body to reduce the resistance of the air, allowing himself to barrel towards your godfather's direction in seconds; in his wake, he leaves a gust of wind billowing that blows the majority of the crowd off their feet and to the ground including yourself; as you sit up, slightly dazed, you look around frantically for Leon and there he is, sprinting towards you from the direction of Motostoke.

“Leon!!!” you cry with relief, scrabbling up to stand.

Charizard returns with a massive flap of his wings, shooting up and into the air before he lands on the ground, clutching an unconscious Graves in his arms.

“Charizard!!” you exclaim, “Thank you!!”

The pokemon snorts loudly and gives you a toothy grin as he lays the unconscious man on the ground in front of you as carefully as he can so you can inspect him. You breathe a sigh of relief; Graves is unharmed.

People begin cheering as Leon finally arrives whereas Gengar returns to the bridge with Spiritomb who is still stuck in the forcefield. When the flying pokemon return, the trainers all turn to the trapped pokemon and proceed to divert their fury towards it, using a wide range of fairy-type moves and others to attack it.

You hear Spiritomb croaking out in pain whilst the other flying type pokemon join in, whaling blows and pecking at the pokemon whilst their trainers cheer and pump fists in the air.

With half of the crowd focused on and bemused with attacking Spiritomb, the remaining crowd part ways to let Leon through and you look up at him as he moves to crouch beside you on one knee.

“Hey, are you alright?” he asks gently, but you are so shocked you merely throw your arms around him with gratitude.

“Thank you, Leon…”

He bundles you up in his arms, stroking the back of your head. “It’s okay, everything’s alright. I’m here….” He mutters soothingly in your ear, “I’m here.”

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. When Spiritomb came out in the games, I looked at it and was like 'wow what is this' and googled it up and apparently at the time it came out, it had no weakness so naturally I freaked out but after that, Spiritomb's presence in the games are rarely felt and the pokedex entries are even more lacking, I thought it should be depicted more menacingly so here Spiritomb is the most dangerous pokemon reader has faced against because it's utterly homicidal. It's torture of the parents was supposed to be much worse but I decided to tone it down :/


	28. The Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find out something about Ezra, talk with Leon, and later, run for your life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date posted: 02.03.2021
> 
> This is the final arc which is focused on reader so this means this fic is almost finished. 
> 
> Unfortunately I haven’t been able to come up with or think of further ideas so this fic will come to an end. I want to thank everyone for supporting this since it's inception :) 
> 
> I don’t think it has been a typical reader insert fic because the romance has been minimal to say at least and it’s very plot heavy and plot intense, so I appreciate you all for your patience and open mindedness. I just can't believe it's almost over!!!! O_o
> 
> Warnings: Blood, some gore

**THE NIGHTMARE**

…

…

[Waking up to see your bed shaking is a bad sign.]

…

…

Ezra hasn’t woken up.

Pacing up and down the empty corridor, your downtrodden gaze is pinned to the pristine, sterile white floor of the hospital and Leon watches you from his seat before he calls out to you, asking you to sit down with him.

A set of double doors that can only be opened from your side keep the clamouring paparazzi at bay, muffling the noise they’re making and muting the flashes of their cameras.

Leon is only able to stay with you for a short while before he must return to work so you make the most of your shared time together.

The paparazzi are eventually shooed away by the security staff of the hospital and you’re allowed to breathe, knowing that you and Leon are truly alone. Almost immediately, you and the Champion weave your hands firmly together and he loops an arm around your shoulder, murmuring soothing words for you to hear.

You sit and wait for what appears to be an eternity until the door to Ezra’s room opens and the doctor steps out, summoning yourself and the Champion to stand.

The doctor goes through some formalities with you before he explains that Ezra’s cancer has spread, he is in dire shape and he will need to go through an operation soon, if not now.

"We've been trying to contact a..." The doctor leaves his sentence trailing to read off a form on his clipboard. "A _Mr Ambrose_ , but he hasn't responded to our phonecalls."

"Ambrose?"

"It says here he's the patient's next of kin," says the doctor, "we need this form signed."

You ponder slightly then ask, "Is it okay if I sign it instead?"

He nods after checking his list where you are also put down as a next of kin, and you are promptly handed a form which you read over before signing and hand it back to the doctor. Ezra’s fate is sealed; he will not be able to leave the hospital for a long time.

You’re on your own.

“Also,” the doctor says before he takes his leave, “we found the patient holding onto this.”

He hands you a folded letter, pressing it into your palm. It’s addressed to you and as the doctor and nurse leave, their footsteps echoing in the distance, Leon stands close to you as you unfold it, revealing Ezra’s handwriting:

 _[If you’re reading this, it means I’m dead._

_I was very proud to have you as my student. You learned things quickly and held great respect for everyone you came across. Now I know you have a lot on your plate already, but I am afraid there are two things I must ask of you: number one, Greyson’s cemetery will be formally under your care after my passing as per my will, and two, please take care of Cassie, ie, Absol.  
_

_She’s forgetting herself as the years go by, and I would not want her to be alone._ _She will also take great care of you in return._ _]_

“…Oh, Ezra,” you murmur, before you exhale loudly and shake your head. He was dealing with so much yet he never bothered you with his problems, and he would always go out of his way to assist you in any manner.

“Let’s go in,” Leon says, and you nod; you slip his will into your pocket and Leon offers you his hand once again.

Together, you enter the room; your mentor lies on the bed, his eyes closed. It pains you to see him like this, looking so fragile and weak. Absol lays curled up on the floor by his bed, opening one eye before rising upon your arrival.

She slinks up to you and you pet her on the head affectionately before you sit down by Ezra’s side.

“Ezra,” you murmur, “we did it. We stopped Spiritomb. He’s been captured but he’s so dangerous, he’s been taken away by the authorities. I’m not sure what they’ll do to him. And I wanted to tell you that I’ve started to understand Gengar and I can hear what he says. I can even hear Cassie. I know what you mean now. I can hear them.”

His chest rises steadily under the sheet but from his noisy wheezes and deep, raspy breaths, you can tell he’s struggling with breathing. The amount of machines surrounding him, all the tubes hooked to his arms and wrist do not alleviate your worries. Leon plants a hand on your shoulder as you throw your limp gaze to the floor, your lip wobbling.

“Look,” Leon suddenly murmurs, and you glance up.

Your mentor has slowly opened his eyes into a tiny slit, and to your utmost amazement, his fingers begin twitching, his wrist rolling. His fingers curl and his wrist trembles delicately.

“He wants to write something,” you say determinedly, “do you see any pen and paper lying around?”

Leon searches your surroundings before he spots a hospital’s patient leaflet with enough white space for clear writing. You grab the pen from the clipboard that’s attached to the front of the bed and you slide the pen into his hand, and hold up the paper for him.

Ezra scribbles before his eyes close and his hand goes limp, unmoving. He’s fully unconscious now, and Absol emits a saddened yowl.

Glimpsing at the paper to discern what he had written, there is only word in bold, capital letters: _DEIMOS._

“Deimos?” Leon mutters. “What does that mean?”

You contemplate briefly with a hand under your chin, “…Well, if my memory serves me right, Deimos is the name of one of the natural satellites of Mars. The second is Phobos. They’re named after ancient gods and the personification of dread and terror. Phobos and Deimos were twin brothers,” you reply.

Leon looks impressed with your trivial knowledge and crosses his arms with his eyes closed as though in deep thought as you fold the paper up.

Easing yourself off the seat, you lower yourself to Absol’s level, crouching before her. “Cassie, I need your help. Who are Deimos and Ambrose?”

She regards you intensely with her bright blue eyes before she lifts up a paw and licks it for a second. She says, _"My dad mentioned Deimos once but I didn't understand what he was talking about. Ambrose....he's from dad's church. You could try asking him."_

Cassie doesn't have sufficient knowledge on 'Deimos', you realise, so you say, “And what about Gossamer Cave? Can you take me there? It’s real, right?”

 _"It is very real, but_ _I can’t take you there,"_ she replies, " _I’m sorry. It doesn't reveal itself to everyone, such as myself. If I were to guide you, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to find it at all."_

As you nod, Leon observes your interaction with the disaster pokemon.

“Okay. I understand. Thank you so much.” you reply.

You kiss her on the top of the horn and she purrs; you want to ask her how she became a Pokemon but she emits a loud yawn, exposing her jaws and sharp fangs, then she stretches on her frontal paws and curls up to sleep.

“She’s gone,” you murmur with a helpless sigh, rising to stand with a cloudy expression on your face.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

“...I think so.”

It’s time to visit Graves, who is in better condition than Ezra and has been given a separate room not too far away albeit in a different ward.

The journey is spent holding hands with Leon as you stroll down the corridor, your mind laden with weary thoughts. Leon periodically throws worried glances at you, noticing your quiet demeanour and squeezing your hand affectionately. 

Graves’ room is up ahead and as you open the door to enter, Magnolia and Sonia are present, and another doctor and nurse are tending to your unconscious godfather right now. You head over silently and the women hug you tightly; the doctor makes his final assessments and you stand as he explains Graves’ condition to your group.

It’s good news; Graves will make a full recovery but the doctor isn’t sure when he will wake up. 

“Don’t worry, dear, the doctor says Inspector Graves will be alright,” Magnolia mutters, patting you gently on the shoulder.

“Yeah, he’ll wake up soon.” Sonia pipes up.

With a nod, you head over to Graves’ side and plop yourself down on the seat closest to him. Similar to Ezra’s situation, it’s odd seeing your godfather so vulnerable like this. However, his expression is not one of pain but instead, an idyllic, tranquil one. He looks peaceful and undisturbed.

“I’m sorry, Uncle Chris,” you murmur.

After the visit, Leon leaves the hospital first; he’s immediately bombarded with the awaiting and impatient paparazzi outside before he takes off on Charizard, having answered minimally to their probing questions with a polite grin. Leon will meet you later after he’s finished up.

You take a Corviknight taxi to Circhester, a town you have never properly visited before for there was no reason for you to go there. The only known attractions you’re aware of are the baths which are an immensely popular tourist attraction, but you pass the structure quickly, making a beeline for the Church, a massive, stone-white building with gothic architecture that stands to the north, its large spire poking out from the horizon. You can also hear the faint ring of the bell.

It’s larger than you had thought, with a massive wooden door held wide open by huge stones placed strategically and as you stand before the wondrous, centuries-old building, you look up and all the way to the spiralling and huge archways and the flying buttresses, marvelling the genius design and intricate sculptures of saints and pokemon which encompasses an Articuno and Arceus that are situated on the east and west segments of the building respectively.

Without further ado, you step in, your footsteps echoing loudly as you enter the nave. The cathedral is alit with smoke from incense and the litany of quiet prayer, and it has also been outfitted to cater for tourists, with several signs indicating the fire exit and even the ‘gift shop’ to the right.

It’s busy today, with several groups of tourists being led by a guide, they are taking photos of the statues and impressive paintings on the walls and ceiling whilst a few, undisturbed locals are praying as they sit in random spots in the aisles.

A few clergymen dressed in the traditional black and white garb stroll up and down but they don’t pay any attention to you and you glance around, wondering how you will find Ambrose.

The clergymen are possibly the ex-coworkers of your mentor and it seems none of them are aware of who you are. It’s best to ask around and so you make your way towards the altar at the end of the chapel where you spot an old man at the altar dressed in the traditional white and gold garb.

A pair of half-moon, gold-rimmed reading glasses perch precariously over the length of his long nose and a few tufts of silvery grey hair poke out underneath his black hat. Beside him, a Mightyena sits on its haunches as it scans the area and as you approach, it emits a growl and the old priest looks up from his book and squints his eyes at you.

“May I help you, young lady?” he asks.

“I’m looking for someone called 'Ambrose'. I was informed I would find him here.”

“And who might you be?”

“I’m a disciple of Ezra’s.”

He blinks sluggishly for a moment before his thick eyebrows scrunch together and he pushes his glasses further up his nose, peering at you for a closer look. “Disciple?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Confusion sweeps the old man’s face for a second before he says, “ _I_ am Ambrose.”

“He’s in hospital right now. Will you go see him?” you ask. Stunned, Ambrose hesitates for a brief moment and you're quick to add, “He has cancer.”

Ambrose blinks widely behind his glasses before he shakes his head. "Oh, Ezra. How unfortunate."

“He mentioned ‘Deimos’. Does that mean anything to you?”

Your response is an alarmed hiss of “Shh, not so loud,” before the old man closes the book he was reading with a slam and hops off the altar; he grabs his walking stick and Mightyena’s leash which is fixed with a collar and the pokemon guides him down the stairs carefully. “Let's speak over here.”

He beckons you to follow him to an empty pew at the front where he ushers you to sit down before plopping himself down.

“Ezra should _not_ have mentioned its name to you," he utters.

“Why?”

“Do you know what Ezra has done?"

"What?"

"I mean the reason why he was thrown out of the church?”

You think it would be wise to hear what he has to say so you merely stare, and he sighs exasperatedly once more.

“Many years ago, a boy was brought to us from the orphanage who claimed that he had been conversing with a creature of unknown origin. It taught him things."

"What kind of things? What kind of creature was it? A pokemon?"

"No. Not a pokemon."

"Then...a demon?"

Ambrose appears conflicted as he grips his cane tightly.

"Unfortunately, he was never inclined to share those details with us," he replies. "Everyone thought the boy was delusional but he affirmed its existence and that it was real, and so we called it the _unspeakable horror_. Ezra was worshipping this false god, so he was sent to us to be rinsed and cleansed, to save his soul. Gradually over the years, he improved and he learned our teachings instead…and he stopped speaking to this _thing_ and when he was old enough, he took on a wife and had a child. I thought he would be fine but then I was told a demon had targeted him and his family and he allegedly invoked the _unspeakable horror_ he had known since childhood, which resulted in the death of his loved ones. It was a bad time. The church received a great deal of backlash and he was banished from the order. Ezra has lost favour with God, and you should do the same and renounce him and his teachings now, before it’s too late.”

Ezra has never told you about any of this; however, you do know one thing: 

“Ezra isn’t evil," you retort, "he’s my mentor and he’s been helping me this whole time. He taught me everything. He’s been helping tonnes of people since you kicked him out.”

“He’s been teaching you forbidden, dark magic. Ezra is a condemned heretic and his methods are unorthodox. We do not speak of him here.”

"Does this mean you can't help me?"

"You may speak to me to absolve your sins."

You sigh heavily. “If you can’t help me, that’s fine,” you reply. “I’ll deal with this myself.”

Ambrose shifts uncomfortably in his seat before he says, “May God guide you along the way.”

…

You leave the church, back to square one and having hit a dead end.

Returning to Wedgehurst, you grab your rucksack and begin to pack some essentials, namely your radio, journal, some talismans and a few snacks. Graves' photo of your parents drop out of the journal which you pick up and scan intently for a few moments, before you carefully return it safely in between the pages of the journal. You leave the bag propped up beside your bed for later.

Afterwards, you make your way to the lab to conduct desk-based research. Unable to shake off the feeling that something bad is going to happen, you head to the bookshelves and begin rifling through any titles that may be of interest and settle them on the floor near your desk.

Once you’ve amassed a few anthologies, you pick up the first book off your pile and flip to the first page. You will be going through every book in an attempt to unearth more information on _Gossamer Cave_.

You also try to find out more information on the shiny Lucario you had seen several years ago. When nothing fruitful comes from the books, you rifle through papers and journals you have only to come to the same conclusion. Next, you sift through various maps of Galar, tourists leaflets and articles about Galar’s history, legends and folklore.

There is no mention of the cave anywhere.

Once you’ve gone through the majority of the hard copies, surrounded by mountainous stacks and piles of old and itchy books, magazines and other miscellaneous documents, you move online and conduct various searches, scrolling through page after page until your eyes hurt.

You extend your search to include all possible regions – Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Kalos, Alola… unfortunately, having factored in major regions meant it would not be possible to complete your findings in one night.

Despite this shortcoming, you can only find legends on ancient, mythical pokemon and their ties to the distinct regions. There is nothing on Galar, the legendary pokemon and any relations to Gossamer Cave.

Perhaps you’re looking at this wrong, you think, so you attempt to find any information you can on Deimos - whether its nature is demonic or not - but all you come across are basic information on the moon and the mythos. 

You grab your cup for a sip of your drink but it’s empty - you’ve run out of coffee – grumbling, you rise from your seat, stretch and head to the coffee machine only to see that you’ve run out of coffee beans and coffee sachets. The next alternative is tea but all the Eldegoss tea is gone too. You're out of everything.

Sighing, you return to your desk, yawning; exhaustion has made you weary and your temples are throbbing. You close your eyes, resting your head on your elbows for a quick lie down and you find yourself drifting off to a dreamless sleep.

However, something soft and weighty is propped over your shoulders and flops over your back and you reopen your eyes to see Leon sitting on the spare seat beside you, trying to tuck his cape over you.

“Leon!” you exclaim, eyes wide.

“Hey,” he murmurs, smoothing his large hand over your hair. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

“It's fine. I shouldn't be sleeping anyway,” you reply, before you fling your gaze to the clock on the wall. "You're early."

“Yep,” he says with a grin. “I can stay with you for the rest of the evening.”

“Really!?”

“Yeah,” he says, before he quickly pulls you into his embrace; you’ve grown accustomed to his hugs, how he envelopes you with his arms and pulls you against him as tightly as possible.

“Thank you,” you mumble into his chest as you snuggle against him. Admittedly, you were feeling very alone today and his presence is very reassuring. You almost want to ask him not to leave your side.

He chuckles as you bury your nose into his neck, inhaling his musky scent and rubbing your cheek against him as affectionately as you can. He rubs your shoulder soothingly before you pull away, nudging your head to the sofa with a smile and you both rise from your seats, wandering to the couch where you both seat yourselves side by side with the cape draped over the two of you, the cape keeping you close together and very warm.

“Any updates on Inspector Graves and your mentor?” he murmurs as your shoulders knock together, your thighs touching.

“No update, but they’re doing okay.”

“I hope they wake up soon.”

“Me too,” you reply with a sigh, closing your eyes as he weaves an arm around your shoulder.

“How did you get on with your research?”

You shake your head. “Nothing substantial. I met and spoke to Ambrose but he can’t help me.”

“What did he say?”

“Just told me a bunch of bad stuff about Ezra. Urgh, I need a break.”

“Yes, it’s very important to take breaks every now and then,” he replies, and you chuckle.

“I think so too; I need a distraction. You’ll do nicely.”

As you rest your head on his shoulder, Leon picks your hand up and in turn, you rub your fingers over his callused skin; it’s from years of pokemon training and battling, and as you gently smooth your fingertips over his thumb, Leon folds his hand over yours and your hands enclose together tightly.

You smile and he carefully observes your reaction; since you’re so close to him, you can hear his heart pounding a little harder and louder than before as his cheeks grow red and warm. Deciding to fan the flames, you huddle even closer to him and then shift to place your hand over his thigh; he tenses up immediately.

“Leon?” you murmur absentmindedly, stroking his thigh before you use two fingers to run up and down his leg.

Leon stares at your action before shifting his glance to you, unconsciously swallowing down. “Y-yes?”

“If my parents were still around, they would have loved to have met you…would’ve loved you in general,” you mutter as you gaze at the tranquil scenery outside. “And Rosie too. You would’ve gotten on so well with them.”

He nods, his eyes glued to your wandering hand. “Hop loves meeting new people and making new friends, I’m sure he would’ve loved meeting Rosie. They would get along like a house on fire.”

You nod, patting him on the knee before you gently squeeze the sculpted muscle of his outer thigh and he tenses up for a second time. “Everything would have been so different.”

“Mm-hm,” he makes a weak noise from the back of his throat as you lean against him comfortably with a sigh.

"I just want them back."

A brief silence spawns, and Leon observes you carefully.

"Do you think I'm...fooling myself?"

"What do you mean?"

"....Every time Graves or anybody else would say that they were dead, I'd...well, I'd tell them off. I'd rebuff them. I'd say my family were still alive and that's it, end of discussion...but I think a part of me deep down knows they're dead. And that they have been, for a long time," you whisper, "there's no way to bring them back, and I can't deal with it because I never knew how. I don't want to accept it because I...it's...well...I-I..."

As you struggle for words, inhaling shaky breaths, Leon wraps his arms around you and pulls you into his chest.

"I can't deal with it, Leon."

Whilst he ponders the best way to reply, you're quick to spring back to your usual self, hastily wiping away your tears and giving him a wide smile.

"Oh gosh, look at me. I...I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to dump that on you-"

"No, wait."

Before you attempt to wriggle free from his embrace, he plants his hands on your shoulders, effectively stopping you and you look up, your gazes meeting. Leon's smile has completely vanished, replaced with a solemn expression.

"You've never had the chance to talk about it, have you?"

You're surprised he's so blunt with you on this occasion and his words make you double-take. "I'm fine, honestly! I made a mistake, I didn't mean to say that-"

He squeezes your shoulders firmly, "Listen. It's okay. You can tell me."

His eyes never leaving yours, you let out a weak laugh from the back of your throat, trying to smile albeit failing miserably and you shake your head, just a little, casually flinging your gaze to the side, then to the ceiling, then back to him. Leon's gaze doesn't shift. You're no longer able to fool him and your mouth falls open a tad, as though you were trying to speak though no words come out.

"I..." you croak out, your voice weak and dry all of a sudden. 

When the first tear leaks out from the corner of your eye, you quickly wipe it away. 

"Leon," you mutter, inhaling a breath.

He waits.

"...I need to go back to work."

You can tell he is disappointed by your answer, but he nods regardless and says, “I’ll help," before he throws a glance to himself, at his Champion gear. “Let me get changed out of these clothes first.”

He departs from the lab and returns in half hour or so donned in a black hoodie and sweatpants; the change from Champion to lounge bum is so drastic, and upon his return, you've gone back to normal, to your usual self, as though the conversation that had taken place had vanished completely, and you giggle to yourself whilst Leon grins at you timidly.

“What do you need help with?” he asks, and you shift your gaze to two bookshelves in the corner.

“….I haven’t gone through those yet….”

Leon looks undeterred despite your despondent tone, and rolls his sleeves up and takes out the first book from the top shelf. They’re large and old, resembling tomes, with their sleek gold lining. Leon prevents himself from sneezing from the muskiness of the pages and though you’re concerned, he joins you at the desk where you’re going through two books at the same time.

He watches anxiously but you don’t notice, going through page after page, holding a magnifying glass occasionally when the text is too small. Leon settles his book on the desk, sitting opposite you and flips to the first page.

The text is tiny. The words are archaic. It was probably written fifty or seventy years ago, complete with hand-drawn illustrations of strange-looking creatures. He checks the cover where the fine print reveals it's a book on demons.

Looking up, you’ve already covered a third of the books that are propped up in front of you.

He watches you pour through the research wordlessly, completely absorbed.

You’re one of the most hard-working people he’s ever met.

“Did you find anything?” you ask, looking up from your book.

Leon glances at his own book. He had barely passed the first page. “Uh, no, sorry.”

“That's okay, take your time.”

It’s back to reading and as you flip through pages and pages, Leon continuously tosses you worried glances. In a few or minutes, you’ve gone through the first book and shut the cover, rubbing your temples as you close your eyes and you shake your head. No Deimos, no Gossamer Cave.

You reach for the second book and begin to plough through, and Leon has only passed the first chapter of his anthology. He stares as you go through the pages one by one, your eyes glued to the book, scanning the thin pages, fingers blurred with black ink.

“There must be something here,” he hears you utter under your breath, “Anything! Even just one word will do. There must be something that will help me…Come on!”

As you groan aloud with frustration, slumping in your chair with defeat, Leon puts his book down and grabs his chair, carrying it over to your side before he drops it by your side, facing you.

“Hey,” he says, and you cast him a tired glance.

Leon stares at you intently for a while before he gently pulls you into his embrace once again, giving you an affectionate squeeze.

The tension in your shoulders disappears immediately, the mounting frustration, agony and exhaustion slowly ebbing away as he embraces you tightly; with a shuddering sigh, you close your eyes and sweep your arms around him, murmuring a quiet but grateful ‘ _Thank you_ ’ in his ear before you press your lips gently over his cheek.

...

As the night wears on, Leon returns to Postwick; he asked if you wanted to stay overnight at his (he has a spare bedroom for you) but you declined; you had desperately wanted to, but recent events have made you more cautious than you should be and you don’t want to endanger him or his family.

At home, you have dinner with Sonia and Magnolia, watch some late night TV together then take a shower. It’s been a long time since you’ve spent the night at home, and you and Sonia spend the remainder of the evening chatting until it’s time for bed although the entire duration of your light conversation, a feeling of dread was growing in your gut as the hours passed.

"It's so nice that you're home!" she gushes, "we can go and get our nails done together and go to the beauty salon!"

She continues going on about other tasks you can accomplish together but you mutter, "Hey Sonia?" as you lie on your bed, staring at the bland ceiling of your shared room.

"Yeah?" She's at the vanity table, brushing her hair.

"If anything happens to me, can you look after my pokemon?"

She puts her brush down and turns to you with a huff, hands on her hips. "Of course! But why are you saying something like that anyway? Nothing's going to happen to you." She chastises you with a shake of her head.

"...I feel awful," you murmur, "In fact, I've been feeling awful all day. It won't go away."

"Well, your godfather and Ezra are in hospital, of course you feel awful."

You nod in agreement. That could be it.

"And you're probably tired and not used to being so active during the day." She sighs as she climbs on her bed and stretches in her comfy pyjamas, grinning, “It’s been such a long time since you’ve actually slept at the same time as me, too. This is so nice! You should stay at home more often.”

You nod again and she rolls over to reach for the lamp.

“I’m switching the lights off now.”

“Okay.”

“Night!”

“Goodnight, Sonnie.”

The bedroom is encompassed in darkness at the flip of the switch, and you hear Sonia rolling over to lie on her side with a sigh whilst you lay sprawled on your back under the covers, eyes closed.

Taking deep breaths in and out, it takes a while for your mind to gently ease into soothing, dark oblivion, and you begin to nod off. You listen to the wind howling gently outside, Sonia’s clock ticking on the wall. You think about Jace, Volkner, your mentor, Graves and finally, Leon.

At the mere thought of the Champion, you smile to yourself as you wonder what exciting things you will do with him tomorrow when he finishes work. Maybe you will have the double date with his friend Raihan and his girlfriend? Maybe you will go camping with him in the Wild Area once more?

With happy thoughts in mind, you roll to your side in a bid to get comfortable and soon, sleep overtakes you.

Your eyes close and as your body grows limp and weightless, your mind ventures away from the bedroom and into the deepest depths and the pit of the abyss, and as you drift to sleep, you dream of a long stretch of road that lies ahead of you, surrounded by two-storey houses with long driveways and huge gardens.

This is your old neighbourhood in Kalos.

“Huh?” you utter to yourself, “why am I here?”

It’s night and it’s raining heavily, wind battering your form. You’re standing in the middle of the road for some inexplicable reason, freezing and trembling from the frigid chilly air; you hug yourself and cautiously glance at your surroundings.

A familiar house lies up ahead.

Stunned, you make your way over and up to the front porch, looking up and around. All the lights are switched off. Everything’s as you remember; mum’s porcelain Politoed garden set are put on display in the lawn. The hedges have been trimmed, courtesy of your father. Rosie’s scooter hasn’t been collected in and lies by the gate.

Dad placed a spare key for any accidents, so you grab it from underneath a Cottonee ornament by a plant pot and you slot the key into the door, twisting it.

The door opens and you step inside your home, closing the door behind you.

Although you have not returned for years, it does not feel that way; you venture into the lounge and peek inside; the sofas, the mantelpiece, the TV…the two leather recliners where dad and Graves used to sit when watching the games…it’s all there.

“I’m home,” you murmur under your breath, before you throw your glance to the stairs.

Sucking in a shaky breath, you head up as quietly as you can and find your old bedroom door, opening it.

The two beds are there, and there are two individuals sleeping inside.

There’s Rosie, who lies on her side, facing you. And then there’s a lump under the covers in the other bed, which you assume is yourself.

Eyes widening, you realise why you have come home, at this time.

“Rosie!” you whisper in shock, before you tiptoe over to her side, “Rosie, wake up.”

She groans and opens her eyes weakly as you shake her shoulder. “….Sissy?”

“Yes, it’s me! Oh god, this is…this is it, I know why I’m here! Come with me. Come with me now,” you hurry inside the room and scoop her out of the bed, into your arms.

Cautiously throwing a glance to the lump in the bed, you breathe a sigh of relief when it does not move, so you quickly leave the room as silently as you can and trek down the stairs.

At the front door, you set Rosie down and she looks around in the dark before she clutches her little hands together and looks up at you, her lip wobbling. She says, “Sissy, I’m scared.”

“It’s okay, Rosie, everything’s gonna be okay,” you reply, pulling open the door for her and ushering her outside into the stormy night with you.

“Mum!! Dad!!” a familiar voice suddenly yells, “Rosie, no!!”

It’s your voice.

Looking up, you see ‘yourself’ standing at the top of the banister, ashen-faced and petrified.

Everything is surreal, and a slither of guilt slides into your gut but as she runs downs the stairs towards you, you pull the door shut in her face and jam the key inside the lock, holding onto the handle as tightly as you can.

You can hear her screaming and fighting with the doorknob, trying to get it open.

Aware she’ll call your parents next, you leave the key in the lock, grab Rosie and begin to hop down the steps of the front porch, heading for the street.

“Sissy, what are you doing?” Rosie exclaims, “Where are we going??”

“Everything’s gonna be okay, Rosie,” you utter as you adjust your grip on her. She is so warm, this cannot be just a dream. This must be real. And if this is real, you’re determined to do one thing: “I’m here to save you.”

Angry footsteps pound after you; you toss a glimpse over your shoulder to see your father rushing towards your direction. He’s too quick, and whilst you’re ecstatic to see your father alive in the flesh once again, his gaze sweeps through you, as though you’re naught a shadow in a thick fog, and he seizes hold of Rosie, pulling her out of your grip. He looks confused.

“Who’s there? Who are you??” he demands.

There’s no time for explanation, you struggle with your little sister as your dad fights back, pulling Rosie as far as away from you as much as possible.

“Dad!! Let go! Let go of her!!!” you scream angrily, but he’s wildly flailing his arms into space as though fighting an invisible assailant which forces you to duck and retreat on several occasions.

Grabbing onto the back of Rosie’s shirt, you cling on as much as possible until the fabric tears and your nails furiously rake against her back.

She emits a startled shriek as she’s finally back in dad’s arms and you topple backwards, staring at your hands in shock. Your father glances left and right, his terrified gaze missing you completely, before he turns and disappears towards the direction of your house.

Looking up, your father has vanished with Rosie.

“Dad, wait!!!”

Scrambling to rise, your feet do not move on their own accord and you’re forcibly pulled away from the ground, your body thrown backwards with malicious force until you collide with a hard surface.

Confused, you’re left to rub your aching head as you pick yourself back up; the scenery has changed, shifting from the street outside your house to the basement, specifically your father’s lab.

You attempt to take one step forwards only to be met with a thick glass, revealing that you’re in a container of some sort.

Throwing your gaze down to yourself, your body has become engorged, clunky and ungainly and it doesn’t take too long for you to realise _yes, something is definitely not right_.

You try to speak, to say a word but all that emits is a rather low and horrific, demonic screech. Lifting your hands to eye level only to see two large and awkward-looking, grey-skinned palms. In fact, you are not even certain this is ‘skin’ and overall, it is not belonging to a human but a pokemon.

 _Dusknoir_.

Cheerful, muffled humming captures your attention and you glimpse over to see Rosie playing with her dolls at the foot of the staircase.

“Rosie!” you yell, thumping your strange, massive hands against the glass, “Rosie, it’s me!”

She looks up and turns to your direction, cocking her head to one side. “Dusky-nor?”

“Rosie, let me out.”

Instead of replying, she picks up her two pokedolls and forces them to kiss, whacking them together again and again.

You try hard to grab her attention.

“Rosie, let me out. You wanna play, right? I’ll play with you. Let’s play.”

To your chagrin, she does not bat an eyelid and as you glance around the lab anxiously, it’s then you see your father’s poster of morse code taped to the wall. That must be it: Rosie cannot understand what you’re saying.

Tapping on the glass with one of your fingers, you spell out a message, occasionally drawing a dash. Rosie eventually looks up and glances at your direction once more.

“Play?” she says, having understood.

“Yes, let’s play a game. Find a way to let me out,” you spell out in morse code.

She juts her bottom lip out and shakes her head. “That doesn’t sound very fun, Dusky-nor. Why don’t we play tea party instead?”

Before you can reply, the door to the basement opens and a girl enters. It’s ‘you’, again. “Rosie, what are you doing here?” your past self says with a huff. “Don’t come down here on your own.”

She picks your little sister up and off the ground and you watch them converse before the dolls are collected and the two sisters glance at you.

Goddamnit, you weren’t quick enough.

You growl and slam your hands over the glass repeatedly with frustration as they scurry off in a panic in response to your display of anger.

“Wait!” you yell.

The lights are turned off, bathing you in darkness, doom and gloom.

You are alone.

Curling into a ball, you wonder how you got yourself into this sticky situation and how you are going to get yourself out of it. Hell, why are you in the body of a Dusknoir anyway? How did this even happen? Though there are horrific true stories of kids waking up and discovering that they had turned into Abras...

Even though your family are here and you are in the sanctity of your own home, you cannot help but feel very scared and isolated. You can’t be locked up here forever.

Unsure how long you have been stuck here, you begin to feel not quite yourself. Your enlarged stomach is empty of food and your mouth hungers for something to eat. A mere scrap or morsel will do. Perhaps you should attempt to escape, somehow. It wouldn’t hurt to try.

Lifting your hand, you might as well try and carry out one of Dusknoir's attacks, perhaps a simple Shadow Ball would do the trick. To your amazement, a ball of sweeping dark energy automatically begins to manifest and gather from the base of your palm as soon as the thoughts of escaping your confinement arises in your mind and from it, an uncontrollable, powerful blast shoots at the glass container which shatters it entirely.

The action was not without consequence though, and your father suddenly goes flying away from the contraption from the sheer force, smacking into the wall as shards of sharp glass rain over his body.

It appears he had been standing nearby doing some late night research but you weren’t even aware of his presence and now that you've attacked him by accident, you're rooted in your spot with shock.

Time must have passed since you were left on your own and everything has been fast forwarded to a particular crucial moment of your past which must be the event where your father and sister went missing.

Freed from the glass container, you rise into the air.

Dusknoir’s power is impressive; you feel its power surging through your body, the strength it possesses. You could do anything you willed, such as saving your father and Rosie before the incident happens.

Your father groans audibly with pain as you attempt to reach him, but his Sableye and Haunter spring out and begin attacking you to protect their trainer; you did not know that they were also here that night.

“I’m trying to save them!” you growl at the pokemon as you avoid their troublesome attacks. “Stop getting in my way!”

You manage to sweep them up and into your hands, unsure how to deal with them.

The answer lies when a short distance away, the papers lying on your father’s desk gently slide an inch or so from their usual places before they’re completely tossed into the air; a strong wind has whipped up from out of nowhere in the small space of the basement, causing chilly air to spread throughout the entire area. A shimmering, horizontal line appears in the darkness and a gaping hole opens up leading to a swirling vortex of deep purple.

As Sableye and Haunter continue to thoroughly resist, getting on your nerves and ruining everything, you proceed to throw them inside the portal. They are immediately sucked inside and vanish in seconds, their helpless cries drowned out by the blowing winds.

Turning round, your next course of action is to take your father and sister with you; a dim white light hovers from your father’s unmoving body, an inch above his head, shining under the gloomy light of the basement.

You make your way towards him and a little, frightened wail can be heard.

It’s Rosie, but you do not see her, just another light identical to your father's - except hers is a beautiful and bright, shining white light. It's incredibly powerful, and you are immediately drawn to it like a Venomoth to a flame, overwhelmed with the most haunting desire to _devour_ it.

You gingerly pick her up with your massive palm though she flails and struggles.

“Rosie!” you exclaim, “I’m going to save you.”

“No! Let me go!” she kicks and screams for your parents and as your father begins to stir, you also pluck him up effortlessly off the ground.

With your father and sister in your grasp, your breathing begins to grow laboured and your vision grows blurry; your insides squirm and grows hot and you emit a yell as your stomach opens up, your ribs and skin stretching until they snap and tear apart.

It’s Dusknoir’s mouth, and you let out a choked rasp of pain whilst your human hostages continue to struggle.

“What…?” you whimper out, before your hands begin moving on their own accord.

You are not in charge anymore; Dusknoir is back in control and it’s hungry.

“Wait, stop!”

As you tremble and gasp, Dusknoir’s hands continue to move beyond your control.

“Stop!” you yelp, hot tears prickling the corner of your eyes. “NO!”

You begin to feed your father and sister inside your belly, watching them wriggle and flail, their screams muffled before everything goes silent as Dusknoir’s mouth seals shut.

You’re no longer hungry.

…

“Oh god! It was me!” you cry out, “It was me!”

Tossing and turning, you sit up in the darkness with tears staining your face, hands clawing at the sides of your head.

A crumbling static noise captures your attention and you look up; your radio lies a distance from you and whilst you wonder what it is doing here from out of the blue, you head over, bending down to pick it up.

It feels cold and heavy in your hands, and the dial is turned wrong.

Out of habit, you switch it to eighteen ninety eight hertz where the static grows louder and finally, a scratchy voice can be heard:

“- _a pocket_ _full of posies, a-tishoo, a-tishoo, we all fall down_. _Ring around the rosie, a pocket full of posies_...”

The voice is unfamiliar to you.

“Hello?” you say, though your rule of thumb is not to respond no matter what you hear. “Who’s this?”

“ _This is Rosie_.”

“No, it’s not.”

“ _Then it’s me, your father_.”

“You’re not my father.”

“ _Yes, I am._ _And then on some days...I’m your mother_.”

Dropping the radio with fright, you watch it clatter to the ground and the antenna breaks and the screen shatters upon impact, but the voice from within begins to chuckle.

“ _I’m coming for you_."

…and you wake up by a slight tremor underneath your body and a weight pressing down on your chest and legs.

Your eyes open in a snap at the unfamiliar sensation and you discover you're in bed, soaked to the bone with cold sweat.

Inhaling shaky breaths as you come to grips that you are now fully awake and the temperature of the entire room has plummeted, the weight on your body grows heavier and heavier and initially, you're paralysed, numb from the horrific nightmare...but there's something in your bed and you promptly lift the covers up.

A pair of red, glowing orbs dance around in strange circles, weaving and bobbing between the small gap for a split second before you realise they are not circles of light but in fact _eyes_ , and these eyes had been watching you until you had woken up - and the weight disappears in a split second, retreating. The duvet follows its movements, a bump zooming all the way to the edge of the bed before it drops off and the duvet goes flat.

You kick the blanket off yourself entirely, scrabbling to sit up in alarm at what you had just witnessed. 

The clock beeps loudly and you whip your head round; the LED screen reads three am precisely.

The tremor returns and you hold your breath, before a second and far more violent quake flings you to one side of the bed.

The bed shakes again and you finally cry out as you glance around yourself in shock and confusion; the bed rocks angrily to and fro, the legs scraping loudly against the floor. The noise is deafening.

In the darkness, your eyes dart left and right frantically as the bed continuously shakes and Sonia stirs, grumbling and groaning from the deafening noise.

You climb out, dropping to the floor and crawling backwards on your elbows. Sonia, now wide awake, rubs her eyes and flips on the switch of the lamp before she emits a gasp of shock at the sight of your shaking bed.

“What’s going on?!” she shrieks with fright before she lets out a loud cry of, “GRAN!!”

As she wails, a dark shadow suddenly flits from underneath your bed and to the ceiling of the room, clinging to one corner.

You daren't peel your eyes off it, your entire body shaking all over with fear as this shadow - initially appearing as a blob, begins to take on the shape of a man - and it springs towards you in a matter of seconds, leaving you no room to retaliate. 

Sonia had been gawping at your bed in astonishment whilst you hurriedly evade the incoming attack and roll over to your rucksack, pulling out your khira dagger from within. You plunge the dagger into the body of the shadow as quickly as you can and it writhes for a few seconds or so. 

It's too early to call it a victory, as the dagger wavers under your grip before the blade promptly scatters into fragments and the shadow slips away. 

Stunned, you gawk at the broken dagger as the humanoid silhouette rises, towering over you. You stare up at this unknown being, your breathing growing laboured before it slams a dark appendage towards your direction. You narrowly escape by making a frantic dash for the door but the floorboards cave in from the assault and Sonia lets out a cry of fright from the alarming sound.

The shadow pursues you furiously, crawling over the wall and over the stairs.

And you yell, "Gengar!"

The pokemon appears, gathering dark energy in his hands before firing a powerful _Shadow Ball_ _,_ yet the attack passes through it completely and the pokemon is left bewildered as the shadow continues in its pursuit. Gengar is quick to react however, and he sinks into the shadows once more.

You throw a casual glimpse over your shoulder, grabbing several talismans from your bag which you had enchanted earlier. Tossing them at its direction, you're dismayed to see that they do little to stop it and the shadow charges through them completely, rampaging down the stairs in its wake. 

Nothing's working, and downstairs, you see Cutiefly and Sunkern at the last step before they spot you - and the shadow.

You want to tell them to _run away_ but Cutiefly flaps his little wings, sending a bustling gust of fairy wind towards your attacker's direction whilst Sunken squeaks and throws a barrage of Razor Leaves at it - to your horror, the attacks pass through much like Gengar's, and the shadow lunges at them.

It happened so quickly; their little bodies are juggled in mid-air as the shadow rips through them. Sunkern drops to the ground first, his eyes wide and glossy, the leaves ripped off his head. Cutiefly's fuzzy body follows suit, bouncing over the floor and coming to a rolling stop. A deep puddle of red seeps out from their motionless, mangled bodies, staining the pristine floor.

The sight of your beloved pokemon torn in half in front of your very eyes sends you into shock; your mouth contorts before you unleash an ear-splitting shriek of horror from the back of your throat.

Two weak balls of light rise from their bodies; before you can take a step forwards, the shadow pounces on one and swallows it up and the remaining light, in an effort to escape, darts to the side but is also quickly chased, caught and devoured by the shadow.

It's preoccupied which might give you an opportunity to attack, but a harsh tug on your arm stops you from doing otherwise: it's Gengar, and he's unlocked the front door for you.

" _We need to go!_ " he exclaims.

Sonia arrives at the banister and spotting the bodies, emits a scream. You don't have time to react, and you certainly have no choice but to leave.

Sparing one last glance at the mangled bodies of your pokemon, you leave with Gengar, sprinting out of the house and down the path as quickly as you can.

...

That night, the ghost Pokemon Researcher of Wedgehurst did not return home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. You can feel the end is nigh because reader is slowly being stripped of the most important people and pokemon in her life T_T
> 
> 2\. Ezra has become the most interesting character of this fic. 
> 
> 3\. Cutiefly and Sunkern were meant to be bumped off earlier because the moment they went missing, it was a subtle clue to indicate that whatever it is that's after the reader has begun to spread its roots.


End file.
